Emerging With Grace
by fivefootone
Summary: Chaos and crazy stalkers, frustrating men and heartbreak, harmful super-powers. Everything a girl could want. WarrenxOC
1. Chapter 1

Sighing, she ran a slender, pale finger through her unnaturally white hair before she zipped her black boots and grabbed her gray, white, and black side bag and black gloves. She followed the narrow hallway that lead to the small living room of her one bedroom studio apartment, and took a deep breath as she grabbed a handful of cashews and locked her front door behind her. By the time she reached the sidewalk below her window, the sun was bright overhead, and the chill she had woken up to had vanished. She unfolded a small post-it, and silently read some words to herself before looking back up at the street sign in front of her. She looked left, then right, then decided going left was a better choice. She made a few turns before finally landing at a bus stop on a corner of some street she didn't care to pay attention to. Within a few minutes of standing awkwardly at the stop, a school bus turned the corner and stopped in front of her. She boarded the bus and found an empty seat in the third row from the front. The ride to school was uneventful, and the best part, she noted silently, was the screaming of the other students when the bus took off flying into the cool, crisp sky.

Walking out onto the floating school, floods of memories washed into her mind, temporarily erasing any other thoughts. She sighed, lifted her chin, and strode towards the front entrance of Sky High. She made her way to the gymnasium, vaguely remembering where she was and how to get there. Pushing the double doors open, she was met with some cautious, nervous, and intimidated stares. She felt a light touch on her left shoulder, and immediately jumped back from it. When she regained her composure, she looked up to see the kind eyes of Principal Powers, or more affectionately known as Auntie Evelyn. Principal Powers gently laid her hand back on her shoulder, and gracefully lead the way to the group of students that had continued with their Power Placement through the disturbance.

Once all the students had left the gym, Principal Powers looked at her and smiled that warm, caring smile she had always given her. Principal Powers looked up at Coach Boomer, who had gone pale in the face while staring down at the beautiful white-haired girl in front of him.

"Is it really necessary for you to see her powers, Coach?" The Principal asked in a polite mock-tone.

"N- n-- no." He shook his head, and stammered through the two lettered word as if he were trying to say "supercalifraglisticexpialidocious". He looked back at the gray-eyed girl, and smiled weakly. "Hero," he squeaked.

Principal Powers smiled to the coach, and after her niece had turned to leave the gym, she mouthed a silent "Thank you" as Boomer continued to regain the color his face had lost moments before.

Outside the gym, students were busy finding their new classes, and retelling stories from the summer that had passed all too quickly. Once the gym doors closed behind them, Principal Powers looked at her niece and smiled that loving smile one more time.

"You'll be fine, Ivy. I promise." She gave Ivy a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and handed her a small piece of paper. "You remember your way around, I assume?"

Ivy nodded gently, her white hair bouncing slightly.

"How long has it been since you've been up here?"

Ivy's small lips curled into a tiny smile as she smirked, and she lowered her eyes to the floor in an attempt to reject the question non-verbally.

"It's ok. You don't need to answer. Come by my office if you have any problems, or if you just want to talk, alright?"

Ivy nodded one more time, and her Auntie Evelyn left her side.

_Right. Talk._

She smiled to herself and looked down at the sheet of paper she still held in her hands.

"English - Senior Composition for Heroes" She read to herself.

She looked at the slowly deserting hallways, glanced down at the paper one more time, then left in the same direction her aunt had taken just a second earlier. She made her way through the familiar hallways slowly, once in a while taking her time to look into a classroom, or back down at the now crumpled paper. After a few more minutes of walking and turning corners, she landed in front of a classroom. Ivy took a deep breath, and opened the squeaky door.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own Sky High.

Ivy took an empty seat on the left side of the classroom by an open window. She turned her head to look out the window, and sighed as a tree swayed in the wind. The squeaky door opened again, and two more girls hustled in, followed by an older, lanky-looking woman wearing a long, tacky orange dress. She put her green briefcase on her desk, and winced as she took off her shoes. A few students raised eyebrows at the womans' peculiar behavior.

"I'm getting old. No one look at me like that." She peered at the two girls that had entered the room ahead of her, who were now in the midst of laughing at her orange dress.

She rubbed her temples for a minute before officially beginning the class.

"I, for those of you who don't know, am Jamie Esther. But I prefer Ms. E. Now, this is your final year at Sky High, and as such, you are permitted the wonderful task of picking names, costumes, and sidekicks this year. Now, we're trying a new procedure this year, just to see how it works. Both you and the sidekicks will be evaluated all year, and at the end of the semester just before graduation, you'll be given a list of sidekicks that you are to choose from based on strength, speed, agility, intelligence, and overall cooperation skill level." Loud protests and whines echoed throughout the room. Ivy simply stared at the tree.

Ms. E continued talking and introducing the class to the set of books they would be reading during the year, and discussed nonsense things like why she loved the color orange so much, and how "utterly bogus" the music kids listen to these days is. Ivy smiled at that.

The bell rang, the students gathered their papers and pens and left the classroom. Ivy waited until everyone had left the room before letting herself out into the hallway. She looked around. There were people everywhere. She didn't do well in large crowds. _Call it claustrophobia._ She pulled her black Guess jacket closer to her body, buttoning it quickly. She adjusted her side bag on her shoulder nervously, looked down at her white piece of paper once more, then slipped her hands into her front pockets. She picked her way through the crowds of people, and eventually found her way to Hero History 4A.

The class passed quickly, and she once again made her way through the maze of people until she landed in math. She took another window seat, and ignored the lectures before her. She watched the clouds pass, and the sun play hide and seek with them. She watched leaves rustle and float to the ground, only to be swept up by the gentle breeze. She spent the entire numbers class enjoying the sweet silence in her mind. The bell rang, and she followed procedure for the third time that day: last one out, strategically move around people, find her next class. As she entered the hallway, she checked her paper again.

"Lunch Break"

_Food! Oh, thank god, food!_ She carefully followed the masses into the bright cafeteria, and lingered just a moment in the doorway before entering. She looked around slowly, taking in all the familiar surroundings, and remembered sitting at a corner table with her mother and Auntie Evelyn not so many years before. After a minute of hard thinking and looking around, she recognized the corner table, and half-smiled to herself. She walked over to it ignoring the stares of many students, and she ran her fingertips across the edge of the table, stopping just a few inches short of the far end. She dropped her bag to the floor, and crouched down on her knees to look under the table.

**"Christine and Ivy Stone were here!"** was etched into the plastic in harsh, un-rounded letters. A cloud of sadness passed over her as a rough, mean voice interrupted her silent memory.

"Uh, excuse me?" It said with a sarcastic, who-do-you-think-you-are tone.

She slowly raised herself back to height, and stared at the boy in front of her. Long hair, dark eyes. Her gaze passed behind him and noticed a girl in a flower print shirt kick him gently.

"Hey," she said. "He's a little grumpy today." Nodding in the dark boys' direction.

Ivy stared back at her, saying nothing in response.

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around the past three years." The flowered girl raised an eyebrow.

Silence.

"Layla, I see you've met Miss Stone." Principal Powers walked up from behind Ivy, causing her to turn her head to see her aunt clearly. "She's just moved back to the states from Greece. She's still adjusting back to our culture, I believe."

"Greece? Wow." An Asian girl smiled slightly at Ivy at the thought of a different country. "Are you Greek?"

Ivy looked at her aunt with pleading eyes.

"She, um..." Principal Powers paused, looking for the right words. "She doesn't speak much."

"Does she understand?" Will asked.

"Oh yes. She understands just fine, she just doesn't say much of anything." Principal Powers gave a sad smile, but caught it quickly and changed back to her normal, graceful, dignified self. "Anyway, Layla, everyone, since you're already here, I'd like you take her around. It's been quite a while since she's been here, and I'm not sure she remembers the way things work. Would you mind?" Ivy looked at the group standing before her. Somewhere in the midst of the conversation, the dark boy sat down at the table and took out a graphic novel.

Layla, as Auntie Evelyn called her, was quite pretty. Long hair, not quite curly, not quite straight, large eyes, full lips, good teeth. All the essentials. She wore a long skirt and a flowered shirt, with a messenger bag at her side. The boy at her side holding her hand was the definition of boy-next-door. He was the All American boy, equip with expensive jeans and a nice striped polo. The Asian girl had a funny hair cut. Or maybe it was just the way it had been styled that morning. Ivy couldn't tell, but she seemed nice enough. Fishnets, tank top, Capri pants. She was a punk girl. The boy standing next to her was in very bright clothes. Very, very bright clothes. His hair was spiky, and he had some weird chain hanging around his neck. She couldn't quite figure it out.

They all nodded their heads and said it was fine. Principal Powers smiled and left the group. The four remaining took seats next to the dark boy, and began to eat their lunches.

"Sit with us. There's plenty of room. You'll have a hard time sitting anywhere else." Layla motioned to the rest of the cafeteria which had suddenly been filled to the brim. She shuddered slightly and sat down across from Layla.

The flower-child smiled and introduced herself, her boyfriend Will in the polo, and their friends Magenta, Zach, and the dark boy Warren. She explained that they had another friend named Ethan, but his family moved to California in the beginning of the summer because his dad got some new job that none of them really knew about. Ivy only half listened. It wasn't that Layla wasn't nice, or anything, she just hadn't been home in so long...

She looked around the room and noticed two mischievous looking boys walking in their direction, with some tall, thin female.

"I still can't believe Taylor's actually friends with those two!" Layla exclaimed, noticing where Ivy's attention was drawn.

Magenta went on to explain to the not-so-eager to know Ivy, "Taylor used to be super prepped out, and those guys almost got expelled our freshmen year. Instead they just got held behind so they had to repeat a grade. Seems unfair, but whatever. Warren and Taylor went out for like, a year, right? Then, when they broke up, she totally turned to the dark side, and now she's like, villain-mistress of the school. No one goes near her unless they want to get froze to death."

Ivy smirked at the thought. Taylor looked over in Warren's direction, and noticed Ivy looking at her. Her face fumed, and she changed course, walking straight towards the group. Warren looked up and grunted. All fell quiet in the cafeteria when they noticed that the Ice Bitch was approaching someone.

"Oh God," Layla said. "She's about to pick a fight."

Warren grunted again, and went back to his novel.

"Can I help you?" Taylor asked Ivy in a sarcastic way.

Ivy just looked at her. _She's so pretty. Shame she's so mean._ Taylor's straight hair was tied up behind her in a long ponytail, and her thin figure was exaggerated by her tight-fitting clothes.

"Hello? Earth to freak? Do you talk?" She raised her eyebrows at the silent Ivy. She turned to Speed and Lash who stood on either side of her, like bodyguards. "She was in my first three classes, and she didn't say a single word all day. Do you know how to talk?"

_She is in my classes, huh? _

Layla stood ready to fight back, when the girl gave her such a cold glare that in and of itself, it could have frozen Layla solid. She quickly sat back down and became smaller. Taylor then turned her attention back to Ivy. She tried to look Ivy up and down, but in her sitting position it was hard to do.

"Stand up, weirdo."

Ivy did as she was told.

"Oh my god, boys! She's not as dumb as we thought! She can stand! How exciting!" Speed and Lash both snickered. "What's your name." It was more of a demand than a question. "Hello!" She waved her hand in front of Ivy's unresponsive face. She moved her hand to push Ivy's forehead back, but before her hand was halfway there, Ivy ducked out of the way. Taylor missed, and the entire student body laughed. Infuriated by her humiliation, her hands froze into solid ice, and she aimed straight at the fully standing Ivy. Again, she ducked out of the way faster than anyone could notice. She grabbed her side-bag and made for the exit.

She was almost there when Speed stopped her right in her tracks. Ivy looked at him, then glanced back to where they had been standing before.

_But he was just-- Super Speed. Right. Super-school. Got it._

Ivy looked at the large boy that blocked her exit, and knew that she couldn't get around him without starting a fight, or touching him, or both. How she hated touching people.

"Whatcha gonna do now, girl?" He taunted. When she said nothing in response, just as she had all the other times, his mocking grin turned to a scowl and he, shockingly, threw a normal punch. She ducked out of the way, and caught him from beneath. She swung her leg around to the back of his shins, and off-balanced him to the point of crashing to the floor. She stood back up, and turned around to face Taylor and Lash. Their faces darkened with their fallen comrade, and Lash stretched his arm across the room to grab her wrist and pull her back. She twisted free of his looming grip before he could actually touch her, and she turned to run through the crowd of students that were now blockading the entrance.

Layla, Will and the rest saw her panicking for a way out, and turned to look at each other.

"We need to help her, yo. I got a baaaaad feelin' bout this." Zach voiced everyone's thoughts. Will stood up, and disentangled himself from the bench. He looked down at Warren, who still read his novel, completely oblivious to all that was going on around him.

"Uh, Warren?" Warren grunted. "Mind helping?" Will furrowed his brows at his friends lack of interest.

"Yes. I would mind. I'm busy." He replied not taking his eyes from the page.

Layla snatched the book from underneath his death grip, and gave him a stern look. "Warren Alexander Peace." Layla knew how he hated his full name. "Get your butt up and help my boyfriend, or your stupid little book is going to be recycled into plant food." Magenta and Zach smiled at each other as Warren's already hard gaze, heated up and got angrier than normal.

"You even try it, I'll burn all that pretty hair of yours right off." He stood up and stalked over to Lash and Taylor, not waiting for Will to catch up.

Layla smiled triumphantly, knowing Warren would never touch her hair if he knew what was good for him.

"Rubberband. Don't pick on girls. It's mean." Lash turned around to receive a full blown fireball in his face that sent him hurtling backwards. Taylor went to freeze Warren, but failed miserably when he melted the ice spikes that she threw towards him.

Meanwhile, Ivy sought a way around the students, knowing that the boys had diverted the attention away from her so she could find a way out. She silently thanked them, and pushed her way out of the cafeteria, never looking back. The fight continued until Boomer and Medulla broke it off just a few minutes later. The five of them received after-school detention and a long lecture from Principal Powers.

Ivy's next few classes seemed to take forever to finish, and she couldn't help but worry if Will and Warren were in trouble because of her. By the time the last bell rang, she had completely forgotten all her lectures, and couldn't remember any of the homework assignments. _Good thing I wrote them down._ She left her last class, found her locker, put some of her heavier texts away, and fumbled her way through the hallways until she found the main entrance. _It hasn't been that long since I've been back..._ She walked down the front steps, and noticed Layla, Magenta, and Zach sitting off in the shade by a cluster of small trees. Ivy looked around the courtyard and found her own tree to sit beneath while she started some of the nights homework. When she looked up again, she saw Will and Warren walking down the front steps together, Warren literally steaming with anger.

"If I get detention one more time because of you Stronghold, I'll kick your ass all the way to China." He fumed as he grabbed his comic book back from Layla. He carefully put it back in his bag and stared back at Will. "Ass."

Will just smiled.

"Hey! Ivy!" Layla's face brightened when she saw the white haired girl approach them.

Warren and Will turned, shocked to see her. Ivy shifted her bag the way she did when she was uncomfortable, and she eventually settled on a nice spot. She opened her mouth once. Then closed it. She looked like a fish. One more time open. One more time closed. Finally she just took a breath, and looked directly at Will and Warren.

"I don't like touching people." She said slowly, enunciating every syllable, turning her gaze to the ground.

"'Ey man! She spoke!" Zach said enthusiastically.

"We know, Zach. We heard her." Magenta eyed him angrily.

Layla looked at Ivy curiously. "How long has it been since you've spoken?" She hesitated to ask.

"Two years, eleven months, seven days." She looked back at Will and Warren. "Thank you."

She turned to leave when Will called after her. "Hey! Ivy!" She stopped mid-step, but didn't turn. "Everyone's coming over to my place to study then we're going out to dinner to celebrate senior year, did you wanna come?" Layla smiled at her boyfriends friendliness.

Ivy looked back at Will. Smiled slightly, and nodded. "I'd like that." Layla grinned wide at Ivy's response, until she saw Ivy's smile fade.

"What's wrong, Ivy?" She asked curiously.

Ivy looked back towards the school to see Principal Powers standing outside the front doors. She felt a cool breeze brush along her neck, and smiled again. She walked towards her aunt a few steps before stopping. Her aunt nodded and smiled, knowing that Ivy was coming to thank her for everything she had done. Ivy's lips curled at the corners, and she turned back to Layla and her friends. They headed towards the bus that was waiting for them, and Ivy turned to Zach.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but, um," She gestured to her own neck and made a confused look. "What is... it?"

Zach looked down at his large chain and said, "What? My bling?"

Ivy turned to Magenta with pleading eyes. Magenta simply laughed and got on the bus.

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Reviews? Maybe? Please?


	3. Chapter 3

.High Sky own not do I :Disclaimer

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When the group finally arrived at Will's place, Magenta was starved, and Zach still wasn't finished explaining his bling.

"It's called self-expression. You gotta be an individual! You can't be afraid to be yourself!" He had been saying the same thing over and over again for almost half an hour.

"Zach. Shut up." Magenta finally had enough. "I just want something to eat, before I curl over and die."

Will smiled and unlocked his door. "Mom? Dad?" No one responded and he shrugged. They all trouped into the kitchen were Magenta helped herself to the fridge, as was her tradition when she came over to Will's place; he always had such good food. Ivy put her bag on the floor by the couch and went over to the fireplace where family photos were set for all to see. Photo's of Will at the beach, Will at his first birthday, a family photo of Will and his parents, and one of him with his grandparents. She ran her finger over the one of him with his mother baking a cake with flour all over themselves. She smiled and put her hand back in her pocket.

After everyone got seated around the coffee table in the living room, they all grabbed their homework. The sidekicks worked on theirs together, while Will and Warren got into a heated debate about whether Batman was better than Superman. After a few minutes of lame argument, Ivy finally spoke up.

"Batman." Everyone was silent. "Batman's better. Superman may have cool powers, but Batman's human. He's fighting crime and all that without the aid of x-ray vision or super speed. But don't ever tell Clark I said that. He'll be so angry. He and Bruce are always fighting about it." She silently went back to her work. Warren opened his mouth about to say something when the front door opened.

"Will, honey? Are you home?" A female voice called him.

"Yeah, Mom. We're all in the living room." Will returned.

The Commander and Jetstream walked into the living room to see the group sprawled out with papers everywhere.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Ivy Stone. Ivy, these are my parents--" Will was cut off.

"Hey Josie, hey Steve." She smiled slightly and waved.

"Ivy! Oh my... How long has it been?" Steve was in astonishment, but made no motion to go towards her to give a hug as he normally would have done for anyone else.

"Almost three and a half years." She smiled.

"It's wonderful to see you again, darling. How was Greece?" Josie said in as much astonishment as her husband.

"It was good. I mean, aside from living with my uncle. Did you hear? I finally got my emancipation request."

"Yes, we most certainly did! Scott and Jean told us last week. We would have called to say congrats, but we couldn't get your number from anyone, and just flying in would have been rude of us." Steve laughed.

Ivy laughed and pure, wonderful, clear laugh, and Warren's attention was completely focused on her, forgetting anyone else was in the room. "Yeah, my uncle wouldn't have appreciated that much. You know how he is around Supers."

"Yes, we remember _quite _well, thank you." Josie clipped her words in her angry-mom way. "Miserable, miserable man." She said more to herself than to anyone else. "Either way, we'll let you get back to your work. Good to see all of you again!" Josie and the Commander left the room without another word.

Everyone stared at her waiting for an explanation. Without taking her eyes from her paper, she sighed.

"My father was a normal guy. No powers, no nothing. Just really smart. My mom, on the other hand, was The Oracle." Everyone gasped. The Oracle was one of the most powerful empaths, telepaths and telekenetics in the world.

"She could reach anyone from anywhere for any reason, which made her and Professor Xavier really good friends. I spent most summers at the Institute while he and my mom worked together doing whatever. She was in touch with all the supers everywhere practically, so Bruce and Clark babysat me a bunch when I was younger. She was also Principal Powers sister.

"But when she died a few years ago, instead of being handed over to my aunt, my uncle fought for custody. He didn't know that I was a super so he didn't want me growing up in "that world". Both my moms parents were supers, as were my mom and my aunt, but he wasn't. He was just human, so he had a great distaste for the entire world of Superhero's and everything.

"Within the first year of me staying there he found out, and I filed for emancipation. But because I was a super and not a normal kid, there were all these extra steps that had to be taken in order to make sure that I was safe living on my own. After it was all approved, I came to live here and finish off my last year in Sky High with my aunt."

"Why didn't you just change custody so you were in your aunts care?" Layla questioned.

"Because I'm going to be eighteen in a few months anyway, so it wouldn't have really mattered. And even if, I'm not running out of money any time soon, if ever, so why do I need someone to take care of me?" Ivy shrugged. She had never thought of switching the custody over to her aunt. Her main focus had always been to just get away from her uncle, whatever that had meant. "What's done is done. I have my own place, my own life and that's all I wanted. I've been taking care of myself for three years, why stop now."

There wasn't a hint of unhappiness, or anger in her voice. She sounded as if she were talking about a pair of shoes she was indifferent about. Layla smiled at the thought.

"So, there was some mention of dinner? If you guys lied about food just to get me to come, I'm gonna be pissed." Ivy smiled, and they all, except Warren, laughed.

Had they not known she was silent for over two years, they never would have guessed. She carried on as if nothing had happened and nothing was wrong.

The group left a few minutes later and went downtown to a pizza-bar. They sat in a large booth and talked and laughed. They told her all about Gwen Grayson, and what _really_ happened with Taylor, much to Warren's disliking. They told Ivy all about how she cheated on him, then she blamed it on him because he didn't pay enough attention to her or some such ridiculous thing. Ivy just laughed at the idea of Warren in any kind of relationship.

"I hope he talks to his girlfriends more than he talks to us." She commented as he got up to refill his soda.

Layla smiled at her and said, "Yeah. He did. But not by much." Ivy chuckled.

When Warren came back Ivy decided it was a good idea to refill her drink, and stood. She asked if anyone else wanted her to refill theirs, and when all declined the offer she made her way to the soda fountain, her lone cup in hand. She pressed the Root Beer button and watched it fill. She took a small sip just so it didn't spill, and walked back towards her table when a young man, no older than in his early twenties interrupted her route. Ivy just looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Care to dance?" He called over the now pounding music.

"No, thank you. Not tonight." She responded with a pleasant smile.

He smiled back, "Let me know if you change your mind?" She nodded and he moved out of her way.

When she returned back to the table Layla blurted out, "Who was that? He was so cute!" Will just glared at her.

Ivy laughed a little, and told her he was just some guy that wanted to dance.

"Why didn't you? He was pretty attractive." Magenta commented.

"Because dancing means touching people. Or at least the kind of dancing he had in mind did." They all smiled and laughed, even Warren cracked a tiny smile.

"So, why don't you like touching people?" He finally managed to get out after having thought about it the majority of the day.

"I love this song!" Ivy yelped as she jumped out of her seat and started quietly singing along and swaying back and forth to Carrie Underwood.

"I can't stand country music, man. I mean, c'mon yo. Hillbillies? Naw-aw. No way, man." Zach shook his head repeatedly.

Warren assumed Ivy hadn't heard him, and let the subject go considering he wouldn't get an answer any time soon.

_"Right now, he's probably buyin' her some fruity little drink 'cause she can't shoot the whiskey..."_

Somewhere between the second and third verses, Ivy ended up standing on top of their table, singing her heart out with all eyes on her laughing and cheering. She had never really sung in public before, and the entire thing, she knew, was completely uncharacteristic of her. But then again, she had never had to opportunity to do something this... fun. And sober.

_"'Cause the next time he cheats... You know it won't be on me...No, not on me." _She slammed her foot on the table and her voice grew louder and stronger than it had been before, shocking everyone in the bar that such a large sound could come from such a small person. She was a tall girl, almost 5'9", but she was built like a Ballet dancer; tiny.

_"Slashed a hole in all four tires..."_

Warren glanced at Will and raised an eyebrow. Will just laughed, and Layla cheered her on. Magenta rolled her eyes and went to get more pizza, while Zach retracted his earlier statement.

"Yeah. Yeah, I could learn to like Country. Mhm, yeah." Magenta hit him upside his head as she returned with another large half cheese-half pepperoni pizza steaming in her other hand.

The song ended, and she dropped back down to the floor and took a small, playful bow. The young man from a few minutes prior came back over to her, and tapped her shoulder. She leapt back at the small touch, and a look of fear and pain passed over her face before she drew it back into a genuine smile.

"So, you'll do all that, but you won't dance with me?" He cocked his head to side, almost pleading for them to share a dance.

"I don't dance very well. I'm sorry." She smiled again and he accepted the answer, and his second rejection.

"Well, have a good night anyway." He waved goodbye and returned to his friends. Ivy sat down with a content sigh, and all her friends just stared at her.

"What was _that?!_" Layla was shocked and excited and curious and completely undecided on which was most important.

"Yeah... That wasn't really me... I just-- Yeah..." Her face faded to a pale, embarrassed color, and she slumped down in her seat just a tad.

"And what do you mean you don't dance? Everyone dances!"

"Layla? I've been dancing since I was three. I just wanted him to leave me alone." She gave her flower-child-friend a smile that would have made anyone feel stupid.

"Yeah. I totally knew that, what are you talking about?" Layla blushed and nervously laughed and ran a hand through her hair. Will gave a one arm hugged and kissed her cheek gently. "So, what kind of dance do you do?" She quickly changed the topic.

"Mainly contemporary. I've done some other stuff, too. Trained in Ballet for over ten years, but contemporary and salsa are my favorites."

"Salsa? Can we go dancing? Oh my god, Will! Will, you take us dancing?" Layla beamed and begged her boyfriend. He looked at Ivy and groaned.

"Thanks." He said flatly. Ivy just smiled in return. After a few more please's and tugs on his arm, he finally gave in. "Fine! OK! I'll take you dancing! All of you! This Saturday. I'll find some Salsa club somewhere and we'll all go! Are you happy?" He asked in an almost mean tone.

"No. I'm not. I want Warren to come too, 'cause you know he won't unless you force him." Layla demanded.

"I'm outa here." Warren stood up to make a quick exit.

"Aw, c'mon, Stirfry. It'll be fun, yo!" Zach got up and clapped Warren on the back.

Warren looked down at the shoulder the glow-boy had just touched, then dangerously eyed the boy in front of him. "Stirfry?"

"I was uh-- tryin' a new nickname. I won't do that anymore." He shook his head quickly and nervously and sat down immediately.

"Why should I go? I don't dance. And even if I did, salsa? No way." He looked at Will, almost begging him not to force him into it.

"So? Ivy doesn't touch people, you guys can just sit and be miserable the whole time." Will shrugged.

"You're actually going?" He asked her in disbelief.

"Well, I'd refuse, but then Layla would make me feel guilty, then I'd end up angry that she made me feel bad, then I'll end up going just so that she stops being mad at me for me being mad her. So I figured I'll skip the entire process and just say yes in the very beginning." She took a bite of pizza.

"See, Warren. Take lessons from her! She hasn't even known me a day and she knows I'll win!" Layla laughed.

Warren looked at Ivy who had taken another three slices of pizza and devoured two already.

"How do you eat so much? You're so... small." He looked amazed at the amount of food that had been on her plate, and the complete lack of food that was on it then.

She looked up at Warren, gave him a contemplative stare, shrugged, and returned to her pizza. He groaned, threw his head back, and muttered, "Why, why do I let them talk me into this crap?" more to himself than any of his friends.

"Aiight, yo! We're goin' dancin'!" Zach elbowed Magenta, which in favor returned him a glare.

"I'm your girlfriend. You hug me. Not elbow me." She lectured.

Zach smiled and gave her a hug and a huge smacky kiss on her cheek. She rolled her eyes, but returned his kiss with one of her own.

A short while later the six of them left the pizza bar and headed home on their separate ways. Ivy, Warren and Zach all left the same direction, and within a few blocks Warren had turned down some side street leaving Zach and Ivy to continue the walk alone. Zach told her all about the school, and explained Save the Citizen to her, all the while completely forgetting that she already knew everything he was telling her. When they said goodbye and went in opposite directions, it was completely dark out, with only a few street lamps overhead. Ivy took a breath in and sat on a bench near a small kiddie park. She sat in the cold silence looking up at the stars in the deep, deep blue sky, staring at the long browning grass that was in desperate need of cutting, running her hand over the rough dark brown bark of a nearby tree, and getting golden sap all over her hand while she did it.

Eventually, she made her way back to her apartment building to find a middle-aged woman standing outside a black Lexus in front of the buildings' front door. Ivy ignored the woman and went to open the door.

"Ivy Stone?" Ivy turned her head to look at the woman against the car. The woman stepped into the street light, and Ivy vaguely recognized her, but she couldn't quite place her.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely, careful not to cause any kind of disturbance.

"I'm Gennifer Biltfer, Dr. Karmichael's assistant. He sent me to give you this." She handed Ivy a shoe box that had gone unnoticed before.

"Why didn't Tod come himself? And why are you here so late?" Ivy took the box suspiciously.

"His wife is having a baby, but he wanted you to have it as soon as possible. He told me not to leave until I saw that you got it. I've been waiting here since two." She said sheepishly, almost ashamed of herself.

Ivy's posture changed from cautious to embarrassed as she saw Gennifer blush a little. "What is it?" She motioned to the box she held in her hand.

Gennifer looked up from the ground, and gave a half-smile. "Something your mother promised you. All the information is in the box. Call Tod in the morning if you have any questions." Gennifer regained her former composure and she got in her Lexus and took off down the quiet suburban street.

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I'm going to be in LA for the week, so I probably won't update, but I would LOVE to come back to reviews and story alerts. =) Have a good week, everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, so I'm back from vacation, and bearing another chapter.

Disclaimer: hgiH ykS nwo ton od I. =)

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All throughout the next day at school Ivy was distracted. All throughout the rest of the week, she was distracted. She didn't say a word during lunch when her friends were discussing which club to go to, and she was silent still during the PE class they all shared. She was grateful that her aunt had made changes to her classes so she could be with friends, but at that moment, friends weren't exactly the most important things on her mind. Finally on the bus ride home that Friday, Zach asked her what was wrong.

"Huh?" She turned to look at her friends, who were staring at her waiting for an answer. "I'm sorry, what'd you say? I spaced out."

"You've been spacing out all day, Ivy. What's up?" Layla repeated Zach's question, without the ghetto.

"I didn't sleep much. Had to finish a bunch of work, then I just couldn't get comfortable."

They all seemed to buy her lies, except Warren. He just glanced at her with a knowing look, then went back to the conversation. The bus came to Warren's stop and he told Ron to pass it. Ivy looked at him curiously. The others had all gotten off at their respective stops, and it was just Zach, Warren and Ivy left on the empty bus.

Zach was dropped off soon after.

"So. What's the matter?" The bus stopped and she took her bag and climbed out with Warren behind her.

"I told you guys, I didn't sleep." Warren raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"You'll tell us when you're ready." He started to head down the street in the direction of his missed stop. Ivy rolled her eyes, tilted her head back a bit in frustration, practically stomped her foot and called after him.

"Can you keep a secret?"

He turned back around to face her. "Will you trust me to?"

Ivy shifted her weight back and forth a few times before giving a tiny shrug and looking down at the ground. When she looked back up a moment later, Warren was walking back towards her. Silently they walked the few blocks until they got to her apartment building. She let him in, and he followed her into the elevator. They got out on floor seven, the highest one. She led him down the entire hallway until they reached the last door.

Walking into her cozy studio apartment Warren had no idea what to think. He expected, white, black and gray everything, and got colors. Mounds and mounds of colors. Every shade of every color everywhere. The walls themselves were a dark, rich orange in the living room, and the kitchen was a forest green. The ceilings were white, and the rug was a nice deep blue on the brown hard wood floor.

The furniture was very modern and the high ceilings made the place seem much bigger than it actually was. The walls were decorated in scenic photos of every kind; rivers, lakes, streams, forests, cities, deserts, the Taj Mahal. Slowly taking everything in, he realized how dark it was inside the room. He looked around for a lamp, and found none. He looked above his head and saw a small ceiling light. He scanned the walls and finally found the switch near the kitchen, where Ivy had been getting some water and a big bag of Puff Cheeto's. He walked over to the switch and reached out for it when a bright orange and purple chip bag blocked his hands path.

"I like it dark." Was all she said with a look that told him not to try again, so instead he turned around and sat on the couch she had motioned to with the water bottles. He sat down and was handed a bottle. She set hers and the bag on the small, dark coffee table. She walked down a small corridor and returned an instant later with the shoe-box Gennifer had given her. She sat down across from Warren in a black Lazy Boy-Wannabe. She held out the box to him.

He looked at her face, which he noticed was a combination of worried, scared, nervous and paranoid all mixed together. She bit her lip gently, gnawing on the chapped skin, and he took the box from her shaking hands. Setting it on the table in between them, he opened it and took out a long letter. He skimmed over it, then looked through the contents of the box. He shifted through a syringe, spare needles, and thirty-one filled corked test tubes. He picked up the syringe first and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not into drugs, if that's what you're trying to tell me." He gave a light smile, and it faded quickly when there was no response. He held up the letter. "What's this mean? I don't understand." He shook his head for emphasis.

"There's something wrong with me. Or, OK, not wrong so much as a, stupid stupid stupid power." She let out a breath. "Whenever people touch me skin to skin, I burn them. It's like they're sticking their hand into a flame. The skin blisters and it can even scar." She looked down at the box. "If we stay in contact long enough, where ever I'm touching will burst into flames. White flames." She shook her head and ran a nervous hand through her hair. "My mother didn't have this power. No one in the family did, so when I got it, no one knew what to do. My mom being the crazy telepath she was, found one of the smartest genetic doctors in the world, Tod Karmichael. He took a sample of my blood and DNA and whatever, and he created a serum for me. Basically I inject an entire bottle and ta-da! I'm touchable. Or at least that's how it's supposed to go. There's no guarantee that it'll work, and if it does work, the amount of time it'll work for is unknown. He says it should last forty-eight hours. And there's no way to tell how long it'll take to spring into action, so I'd be a sitting duck waiting for it to work, or not work."

Warren stared at her. After a few minutes, he broke the silence. "Are you afraid it won't work, and you don't want to be disappointed?"

"Yeah, that's part of it. The other part is that this is how I was made. I'm like this for a reason. I don't want to be so quick to give it up, without ever finding out the why that goes along with the what."

"Look, from what both you and this letter said, the serum doesn't take your power away, it just hides it, it lets you live like a normal person. You'll be able to go dance with that creepy guy at the pizza bar. When it wears off, you'll be all spooky and mysterious again. It's not permanent."

After giving his words a moment of thought, she responded with, "No, I guess it isn't, huh? And I definitely don't want to dance with that guy. He was so not my type." Warren gave her a rare smile and handed her the box back. Trembling, she took it from him. Oblivious to the fact that she had taken her gloves off, and his gloves were fingerless, her pinky brushed against the back of his index finger while she took the heavy box from him. She gaped down at the small touch and almost jerked back. Almost, until she realized he wasn't burning. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open.

"How? What-- What are you?" She shook her head in disbelief. "No one has ever--" She closed her mouth and continued to shake her head. The sensation of her skin on his was warm, hot even, but not burning.

"Fire." Warren muttered. He looked up at Ivy who was still in complete shock. He lit his other hand. "Fire." He said more clearly.

"You're a pyrokinetic." She shook her head again. "That's why you aren't affected, because you're immune to fire." She was in complete awe at this new discovery, not quite sure how to react. Warren nodded slowly. Slowly they raised their hands until all her fingertips were pressed against his. She smiled at the touch and the warmth that came with it.

"Fifteen years." A small tear fell from her left eye, and hit the table. It splashed, but into a tiny white flame, not just a tiny puddle of water. Warren looked at her in amazement. She gave a small smile and shrugged.

Waking from her trance, she looked down at the shoe-box they held between them, and took her hand back. His gaze followed hers.

"Are you going to...?" He trailed off, unsure of how to phrase what he was trying to ask.

She hadn't come all the way back to the previous conversation, still being shocked by the ability to touch someone had jolted her thoughts a bit. She shook her head a little as if shaking out the rest of the distractions. She looked down at the syringe.

"Well, I've got nothing to lose. I might as well see what happens, right?" She looked at him nervously, seeking comforting words and support. She was lucky Warren wasn't as dense as he was mean.

"And if it works, all the better. Whatever happens you'll be fine." He brought out the syringe, needle and one tube. He assembled it the way he had seen in movies, and handed it to her. "The letter says that you should inject it straight into your blood stream, and the effects _should_ be immediate. I'm assuming you'll feel like, a wave or rush of something go over your skin. I dunno, makes sense." He shrugged.

She nodded her comprehension, and pumped her left forearm full of blood. She took the syringe, and injected the clear serum. Within moments what felt like a ripple passed over her skin. She closed her eyes and let it engulf her completely. She opened her eyes and saw Warren staring back at her. She reached out, and lay a sweaty hand on his forearm. The heat was gone, and it was simply skin on skin. He must have felt it, too, because he looked at her and smiled.

"Guess it worked after all." He looked at her and saw something brighten in her eyes that hadn't been there before. A smile of pure joy crept across her lips as they curled at the corners, and a deep, throaty laugh escaped her lips.

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Reviews are always welcome/appreciated/nice/helpful/whatever-other-word-you-can-think-of.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High. Yet. =)

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The following day was Club Night as Layla had started calling it. Everyone was set to meet at Will's place around nine or so, so Ivy spent most of the day doing homework, and flexing her hand once in the while. Just the day before, she had the gained the ability to touch people by means of some genetic serum that her mother's old friend had created for her. She had also learned that she was able to touch Warren without the serum because of his own fire-power. There was so much information to take in, so much that she couldn't comprehend any of her science lectures that she was re-reading. Flabbergasted, she stood up leaving her homework on her kitchen counter, and she walked straight back into her rose-red room. The white trim and curtains seemed brighter than normal, or maybe it was just the lack of sleep. She straightened out her messy black satin sheets, and smoothed over the black comforter. She opened her closet door and went in search of something to wear to the Salsa Club that night.

Long sleeves, full skirts, turtle necks, long gloves, thick pants, high boots, heavy jackets. None of it was right. She hadn't been able to have physical contact with anyone since she was three, so her clothing wasn't exactly people-friendly. She threw all the clothes back into her closet, and grabbed her phone, keys, and purse. She left her apartment and found her car in the building's parking lot out back. She put the car into gear, and made her way to the mall. Of course, she got lost for nearly twenty minutes. But she did find it eventually, and that was all that mattered.

She parked and walked into the mall. She wandered aimlessly for a little while, familiarizing herself with the stores, and the seasons' style. Eventually she started shopping and not just looking. She bought tank tops, and short skirts. Shear shirts, and bathing suits. She couldn't wait to go swimming with her friends, now that she could dunk Zach without burning all his skin off. After a hefty shopping spree, she went back to her apartment and reevaluated the clothing choices for that evening. _Hm, salsa club. Nothing too fancy._ She eyed a little black dress she bought, and decided it wasn't quite right. _Black pants? Red shirt?_ She held up the combination and shook her head. "Dress to Impress" was what her mother always said. Ivy smiled at the memory of shopping with her mother. They had always had similar taste; chic woman-vests, t-shirts, slacks, and high-heeled boots. And in Ivy's case, long gloves and jackets.

Returning to the present dilemma, she went back to the black dress she had shunned a minute before. Looking at it again, it still wasn't right. _Oh! I bought that red and black lace dress! _She yelped with excitement remembering the flowy dress she had convinced herself to buy after over an hour of deciding whether or not it was worth the three-hundred and twenty-seven dollars it was priced at. She held up the dress, and right away decided it was perfect. With strappy black heels, she laid the outfit on her queen-sized bed, and took a very long, hot shower.

Curling her white hair, and putting some pitch black streaks dispersed throughout her head, she wondered what shade of lipstick she should wear. She finally decided some clear lip gloss was best, and she grabbed some eyeliner from the top drawer in her dresser. She didn't usually wear make-up, she preferred the natural look, but her mother had made sure she knew how to use it like a pro. At first she just put a little black mascara. She looked in her mirror and frowned. The dress was so sexy and showed off her entire everything. Natural eyes weren't right. She went for smokey. Dark black liner with black, gray and light salmon pink shadow, accentuating her almond shaped gray eyes. All the black liner made her eyes look much lighter than they actually were, _but that's kind of the point._ She leaned in close to the mirror, and checked to make sure the shadow was even on both sides.

She watched her eyes stare back her, and for the first time in years, she looked at her pupils and not just her iris's. She noticed that there hadn't been any change in them, and that there were still stuck in mid-change. Slightly slit, but not enough to be noticed without close examination, they were stuck between human and feline, probably for the rest of her life. The white outline of the black pupils in between the iris and the pupil had grown smaller over the years, making the slit itself less noticeable, _thank God._

She pulled herself out of her memory of the day it happened. The day she spent too much time in her alternate form, and she could hardly change herself back. The day her blue-green eyes hadn't morphed back, but stayed the gray, white and black of her cat-self. The day her mother--

That was the day she lost her color vision, and was only able to see in gray, white and black, the way she did when she was changed. Now, she could only see color when it was dark, so she kept all the lights in her apartment off at all times because then she was able to see like a normal person. She could never experience the physical darkness other humans sought, but instead was blinded by colors, which she had slowly learned was even better.

She glanced at her clock, and saw that she had a little over half an hour before she needed to leave. She returned back to her current issue of even eye shadow, and decided it was fine. She left her blue and gray bathroom, and went over to where her dress was laying on her bed. She had always loved red, and she had only known it was red because she heard a store clerk mention it while talking to a fellow employee. Now that she was in the dark, she saw the deep blood red satin of the dress, and the black lace that was wrapped around the bodice of it. Figuring a bra wasn't necessary, she simply undressed and slipped the satin and lace over her thin frame, re-zipping the side of it. Spaghetti strapped with a straight neckline, the red satin and black lace clung snuggly to her hips and everything above them, and began to flow with it's full skirt from mid-thigh down to her knees. _Reminds me of Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. Love that movie._ She smiled to herself and pulled her strappy heels on; admiring the outfit in all its splendor.

She returned to her bathroom and put some finishing touches on her shadow, liner and lip-gloss. She admired her hair, and laughed at how ridiculously normal it looked on her. _The beauty of being me_: black and white looked completely natural on her. She sprayed a little more hairspray, before adding just a tad of her favorite perfume to her collarbone. She picked out a small black purse, and put her spare make-up, phone, wallet, and a pair of black gloves in it, just in case. She grabbed her chic black three-quarter sleeved, mid-calf trench coat, buttoned and tied it, picked up her keys, and left the apartment.

Ivy decided that, regardless of the aid her not-so-night vision provided her, walking alone in the dark wasn't the best idea, and she pulled her car out of the parking lot. She took residential streets all the way to Will's so she could go as fast as she wanted in her five speed '94 Wrangler. She got to Will's at five past nine, and parked quickly, worrying that they were all waiting for her. She made sure the black canvas was securely tied down, locked her car, and briskly walked to Will's front door. She knocked and heard Josie's voice call, "Come in!" from just beyond the door. She opened it slowly and poked her head in first. She smiled when she saw them all standing in the foyer talking about how beautiful Layla and Magenta looked. Ivy was lucky that not all the lights were on, so she was able to tell that Layla was in a dark green knee length dress, similar in style to Ivy's, but with a V-cut neckline, and a less-full skirt with white heels to match the white stitching of the dress. Magenta was wearing black slacks, and a long, sheer dark purple shirt that ended midway down her butt, with black boots and a black bra that prominently stood out from under the purple fabric.

Will was decked out in a blue and white button down with black pants. _Definitely a Stronghold._ Ivy laughed in her head. _He doesn't look half bad... I mean, for a patriot._ She let a small laugh slip through, and received a raised eyebrow from Will. She just shook her head and smiled at him. Zach was, thankfully, just in black and white tonight. No burning neon yellow, which Ivy had only known due to a comment Layla had made, begging him not to wear any out dancing. He agreed after he lost the fight and kept his word. A black T-shirt under a long sleeved white button down, that of course wasn't buttoned, and black pants. His hair was spikier than normal, and Ivy could barely resist the urge to mess it up.

Her gaze traveled to Warren who was sullenly leaning against the banister leading upstairs. Black pants, a deep burgundy muscle shirt, and his leather jacket. He had tied his hair back into the small ponytail he only wore for work, and he had even shaved his stubble, which was a rare occurrence. He looked up from his staring contest with the floor, and saw Ivy staring at him. He saw her look him head to toe, and he saw her conceal a smile. He returned the look up and down, and paused on her gloveless hands. He looked at her and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Then she smiled and nodded happily.

"Ivy, let's see your dress!" Layla pleaded.

Ivy shook her head embarrassed and shy, but Josie wouldn't have any of it.

"Ivy Discord Stone, if you don't take that coat off, I will remove it for you, regardless of the however painful the consequences."

Warren laughed outright now. Everyone looked at him. Ivy knew what he was laughing at, and Josie and Steve assumed as much, but he concealed it well by saying, "Discord?"

Ivy turned an angry red. "Don't call me that, Stirfry." His face dropped at her use of Zach's nickname for him.

"Oh hush both of you, and you," Josie pointed at Ivy, "take it off. Now. Come on, we don't have all night."

Ivy rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. She slowly untied the waist belt, and unbuttoned the coat top to bottom. She awkwardly and uncomfortably shrugged it off her shoulders, and held it behind her, never letting it fall from her hands. Everyone gaped at the girl. Ballerina thin, but not lacking any extremities, she stood picture perfect in her expensive party dress. Ivy, while looking at the floor, her angry red turning to an embarrassed pink, missed a rare look of desire and praise pass through Warren's eyes. She raised her head slowly, and looked first at Josie.

"My God, Steve. She really is her mothers' daughter." Josie put her hand on her own cheek, and shook her head in disbelief. Her husband just nodded and closed his mouth aware that he was being quite rude to the young girl. He turned to his son and Zach. "Boys." He said warningly, and they both caught themselves staring. Layla and Magenta paid no mind that their boyfriends were entranced, because they, too, were in complete awe of the white and now black haired girls' beauty.

Ivy looked nervously to Layla and Magenta for a silent approval, and they both smiled and nodded just enough that Ivy saw it, but not enough to draw attention to their quiet conversation. Will finally shook his head a bit, and waved goodbye to his parents. He offered his hand to Layla and she graciously received it. Zach offered Magenta his arm in a mocking manner, and she laughed at him. "Stop being a gentleman, and be you." He gave her a goody grin, grabbed her arm and pulled her threw the door in an almost comical way.

Warren and Ivy looked at each other awkwardly, before Ivy looked away. Steve glared at Warren, and Warren turned his attention to Stronghold Senior. Steve motioned his head over to Ivy, who was now talking to Josie about the dress.

"Go." He said quietly. Steve smiled, and Warren instantly knew that both Steve and Josie understood her power and his, and them together. But he also knew that they were unaware of Ivy's recently added serum. She had asked him to keep it to himself, just in case it didn't work or something went wrong, because she didn't want to have to answer questions about her power, or the serum. Warren looked back at Steve and slowly made his way across the foyer to Ivy.

Josie stopped mid-sentence when she saw him approach, and she changed her sentence to, "You two should go, they're probably waiting for you." Ivy nodded and turned to go, unaware that Warren was waiting a little bit behind her. She made for the door, and saw him holding it open for her. She gave an almost shocked smile at his chivalry, and went through the doorway. Warren looked back at Steve, and he gave the closest thing he could to a smile, without Josie noticing.

Warren closed the door behind them, and Josie turned to Steve.

"Warren's the only one who knows about her skin." She said to her husband.

He nodded worried. "Just wait till they all find out the rest."

She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "They won't worry. Look at Magenta!" She tried very hard to eliminate her own worry from her voice.

"Yes, but Josie, Magenta isn't stuck between forms." His entire face saddened, and his wife's own expression mirrored his perfectly. "And Magenta isn't nicknamed 'Discord'." Steve put his arm around Josie, and they turned towards the kitchen. They sat at the table and together sighed.

"It isn't noticeable, Steve. Most of it is internal, anyway." Josie tried, but Steve's sad expression was there to stay. Josie's hopeful smile faded, and she shook her head. "Poor Discord."

Outside, Ivy asked Warren if Josie and Steve were always this excited when the group went to do things. He said no an explained that they had a soft spot for fancy events.

"It's not a prom or anything. It's just a club." She didn't understand.

"Yeah, but it's still an excuse to get dressed up, and apparently that's the best part. I think Josie enjoys it so much just because she doesn't have a daughter of her own, so she takes advantage of the fact that Will has female friends." Ivy nodded her understanding just as they reached the car.

Zach stuck his head out the window and told them to hurry up. Warren opened the door and Ivy crawled inside the monstrous car.

"He gets really excited about dancing." Magenta clarified to Ivy as she settled herself in the far back row next to Warren.

"Ah." She said. "Zach, let's be a good boy, and stay seated the entire ride, OK?" Ivy mocked.

Zach looked at her and nodded excitedly, obviously not picking up on the sarcasm in her voice. Warren smirked at Zach as he struggled to put his seatbelt on correctly.

The ride to the club was short and went by fast because of all the excitement and talking. Ivy explained to Warren about Clark and Bruce and how her mother had introduced them to each other, and they had a love-hate relationship. She told him about Xavier's Institute for Gifted Children, and about each of the X-Men. She told him specifically about Rogue, and he understood why the two of them had remained like sisters throughout the past six years. She talked about the Fantastic Four, and how beautiful Sue and Richards' wedding was, and all about Wonder Woman. Warren laughed most of the time, and eventually everyone in the car was listening to their conversation and the ridiculous stories Ivy had to tell. None of them had ever heard Warren laugh the way he was now. Layla looked back at Magenta, who in return smiled a plotting smile.

Will parked the car, and the six of them trailed out of it. The got to club entrance, and showed their IDs.

Warren looked at Ivy's, and said, "I thought you weren't eighteen?"

A hint of mischievous pleasure passed through her eyes, "I'm not." And she tucked the ID back into her purse.

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Reviews, reviews, reviews. Yes, please. =)


	6. Chapter 6

So, I went a little crazy with this chapter... The dancing got the best of me. =\

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Ivy looked around the club and grinned. It was darker than expected with few windows, lots of bodies, and no space to move. The night Layla had picked out had been the clubs' once a month Reggaeton and Salsa night, so the amount of people was doubled. There were colored lights flashing and spinning around making patterns on the bodies beneath, and there were strobe lights sitting in each corner. There was a large bar, and lots of seating. It was a two story club, the dance floor was on the lower floor, while the entrance and the tables were on the higher one.

At first Ivy felt fairly out of place in her fancier dress, until she spotted others wearing slightly fancy clothes, too. She gave a small relieved sigh, and felt a light touch on her elbow. For the first time in years, she didn't have to pull away, and she turned her head to see Warren standing beside her. He nodded his head in the direction the others went, and she followed him as he lead the way to the table Zach picked out off in a secluded corner, so the group was able to have some privacy. They all took of their jackets and sat down comfortably. Warren kept his leather jacket on in protest to the idea of being there. Just because he came, didn't mean he'd like it, or even pretend to. He sat down and began to let his infamous glare settle on his face.

A little while had passed, and Layla and Will had long disappeared to the dance floor. Magenta and Zach had been back and forth a few times, and finally decided that dancing was a better idea. Quite a few men had asked Ivy to dance, but she had politely declined every last one of them. Now, she was staring over the railing looking down onto the dance floor, watching everyone sweat and move to the beat. Warren had noticed her standing against the balcony, and he felt a sudden rush of guilt. He grit his teeth, stood up determinedly, and took off his jacket. He headed towards her, but the closer he got, the more and more intimidated he got. What if she didn't want to dance? What if she didn't want to dance with _him_? What if--

He leaned next to her and she smiled.

"I love dancing." She said, almost sadly.

He looked to his left, and saw a pang of longing pass through her eyes.

"Dance with me." He demanded softly.

Ivy looked at Warren in complete astonishment. Her mouth gaped and she blushed. Hard.

"But-- You hate dancing. You _don't_ dance. You didn't even want to come!" She blurted out every excuse she could think of.

"I don't hate dancing. I just don't do it. My mom made me take a few lessons when I was a freshman. She told me that if I could dance, I would officially be the perfect boyfriend, regardless of anything else." He smirked. "And no, I didn't want to come."

"You're such a liar." She smiled and eyed him curiously, unsure of what to say next. "You don't want to dance." She turned her sadness back to the crowd beneath them.

"Not necessarily, no. But you do, and that's good enough." And he offered her his hand. She looked down at it, and noticed the light orange and red flames that he had tattooed around his wrist.

Hesitating for a moment, she finally put her hand in his, and she let her gaze travel up his extremely attractive body, back to meet his eyes. She let a small smile cross her lips, and seeing her smile, he couldn't help but smile himself. He slowly lead her down to the dance floor, and the fun salsa song faded into a sexy reggaeton one. He lead her straight into the center of the dance floor, and turned to face her. She slowly ran her left hand up his muscled arm until it rested on his shoulder. He slid his right hand onto her lower back and pulled her closer to him, until she could feel every ripple of his abdominal muscles against her body. He slid his left hand into her right one and raised it to shoulder height, and slowly started to lead her in a salsa step. She raised her head slightly to look at him, and he pulled her even closer. As their pace quickened to finally match the beat, they had completely forgotten where they were, and just danced together.

Will and the others had spotted Warren and Ivy making their way through the crowded dance floor, and now they did the same. The four of them stopped when Warren and Ivy came into view, and Magenta quickly hushed Zach before he interrupted them.

Layla turned to Magenta. "I thought she didn't like touching people?"

Magenta, dumbfounded, shrugged.

"They're doing more than touching." Will mused. "Go Warren." He and Zach shared a lame high-five, and received playful glares from their girlfriends.

The music went on, and the four stopped staring and continued dancing. Ivy and Warren were lost in each others company, oblivious to all else until a young woman interrupted them.

"Mind if I cut in and take this hunk for a spin?" She said, politely pushing Ivy back from her dance partner. Before Ivy had a chance to respond, the brown haired woman had moved in to take her place. Warren kept his eyes locked on Ivy as she smiled disappointedly and started to find her way back through the crowd.

"Country girl!" Ivy looked around and recognized the same man from the pizza-bar a few nights before. She smiled as he fought his way towards her.

"Are you stalking me?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and slight smile.

"Could you blame me?" He replied with a smile of his own.

_He's so... Beautiful._

"Did you wanna dance with me tonight? Or still pretending like you don't know how?" He eyed Warren behind her, who was glancing over towards Ivy every few seconds. Ivy turned her head to see Warren dancing with the brown haired girl, and she looked back at the man in front of her and smiled awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, I just really didn't feel like dancing at the pizza place." She apologized.

"Do you feel like dancing at the salsa place?" He smiled again. "I promise I won't step on your feet." He saluted her with a scouts honor.

She saw the hopeful look in his eyes, and couldn't resist saying yes. He took her hand, spun her around and caught her without thinking twice. She looked at him, and he gave a mischievous smile. "Humph." She grunted.

"What?" They began to salsa.

"You said you wouldn't step on my feet. You made it sound like you were bad." She claimed.

"No. I never said I was bad. Or that I was good. I just said I wouldn't step on your feet. You assumed everything else." He dipped her, and nervously she held her neck in place looking at him and waiting for him to drop her.

"You don't trust me?" He laughed.

"I don't know you!" She laughed back.

"Well, let's start basic. My name is Blake Levine, I'm a freshman at the University of Maxville. It's nice to meet you, Miss...?" He spun her again.

"Ivy." She smiled. "Ivy Stone. I'm a student at Maxville High." She lied as she playfully spun him.

He laughed as he finished his spin and spun her again. "Don't mess with me! I'm the King of turns!" She laughed at his self assuredness. "So you're a student at Maxville High?"

She nodded. "A senior."

"Ah, I don't feel as sleezy for dancing with you then." She laughed again, harder this time. "Trust me yet?"

She eyed him, and nodded slightly. "Sure, let's go with that for now."

He dipped her again, and she let her head fall towards the ground and her back arch, raising her chest and opening her ribs.

Will and Layla had been nearby and heard most of the conversation, even over the pounding music. Warren had escaped the brunette, and Zach and Magenta had just returned to the dance floor, all just in time to see this mysterious black haired man dip Ivy. They all immediately recognized him as the man from the pizza shop, and Warren felt a wave of jealousy pass through him. Layla and Magenta's mouths dropped open at the sight of them dancing.

Slowly, Blake raised her out of the dip, and she rolled up her spine until her head finally became level, and she stared at him with wide eyes. He spun her in a half circle and her back pressed into his chest, and they continued their salsa. At the end of the dance, Ivy thanked him, and told him she had to find her friends.

She met them back at the table and leaned over a chair to grab a cup of water.

"So. We saw you with Mr. Pizza over there." Will smiled.

Ivy took a deep drink of cold water, and wiped some sweat from her forehead. She turned her head back towards the dance floor, then put her empty cup back on the table. The world spun, her vision went black, white, and gray, and she grabbed the chair beneath her to steady herself. Warren raised an eyebrow at her.

"I need some air." She panted and turned to go towards an exit. She pushed her way through the people, ignoring the rude curses being thrown at her in the process. She slammed the door open, and leaned against the cold brick of the outside of the club. Her head hung and she heard a familiar voice.

"You OK there?"

She looked up to see Blake smoking a cigarette a few feet away. He put it out quickly, and cautiously walked toward her.

Ivy nodded weakly. "I couldn't breathe in there." She lied.

He came to lean against the wall next to her and looked at her.

"Do you need some water or something?"

"No, thank you." She pushed herself away from the wall, took a few steps and her legs collapsed beneath her. Blake lunged forward to catch her before she fell to the ground completely, and he held her steady as she struggled to stand. She tried to push away from him to stand on her own, but he didn't let go of her.

"Please, I can stand fine." She protested his strong grip.

"Yeah, yeah, you definitely proved that." He mocked her.

"Please let go of me." She asked firmly. She turned to look at his face, and saw a shadow that hadn't been there before. His lips curled into a sick smile, and his green eyes faded to a dark black. His ears grew sharper, and his face elongated into the beginnings of a muzzle. The door behind them opened, and instantly he was human again. His eyes sparkled under the moon, and his lips placed a gentle kiss on her left cheek before turning to leave.

Warren stood in the doorway and gave a cold glare at Blake as he passed through the doorway. When Blake was gone, Warren turned his attention back to Ivy.

"You alright?" He started to go towards her, and she walked straight past him, muttering an 'I'm fine' along the way. She marched towards the table that held her friends laughing and telling jokes over the loud music. Warren chased her back to the table.

She grabbed her coat and purse. "I'm leaving." And she left the table with all her friends at her heels, shuffling their things.

Outside the club, Warren caught her by the hand while the rest pulled their coats on. Ivy ripped her shoes off after pulling her hand free from the pyro.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" He stared intently at her waiting for a response.

"Nothing. I have to go." She turned to leave again when he grabbed her purse from her. She turned her attention to him, and snatched her purse back from him. Behind him she saw Blake sitting with two friends all staring at her laughing. Her eyes widened, and she dropped her shoes and ran. She heard Warren call after her, she heard all her friends call after her, but she ran as fast as she could until she reached the inside of her apartment. She slammed the door shut behind her, and threw herself against the back of the door.

"Fuck!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, and she sank down to the ground, head in her hands.

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So... Yeah. Um... Yeah. Reviews? Thanks.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Sunday passed quickly, and as such, Monday came all too soon. Waking up in the morning, taking a long, burning hot shower she didn't feel any of the tension release from her back. She dried off, and wrapped herself in her white towel, clinging to it the way a child would cling to a blanket. She looked at her shoe-box, and lifted the syringe. She was still unaware if it prevented her from using her other powers, but even if it did, touching people was worth it. She injected the serum into her left forearm, and stared at herself in the mirror as a literal ripple passed under her skin from toes to head.

She stared blankly into her closet, and decided she was in a black mood. She decorated her hair with the familiar black streaks, and pulled on tight dark denim jeans and black boots, with just a plain form-fitting black t-shirt, and her black Guess jacket. She brushed her teeth, straightened her hair out again, and then grabbed her messenger bag. Locking the door behind her, she had a bad feeling about the day and groaned as she got into the elevator.

The bus came and she took a seat by the window, staring out at her gray sky. She could tell it was a beautiful day, bright and clear, but she only saw shades of gray. _That's such a good album. Staind is wonderful._ The bus landed at Sky High, and she unenthusiastically walked into the school. She went through her morning classes the same way she always did, staring out the windows, and when the lunch break finally came around, she went into the cafeteria and just got a bottle of water. She headed towards the exit when Warren stopped her.

"You didn't return any of my calls." He said. "I was worried."

"I was busy." And she walked around him to leave.

Warren returned to his table and Layla looked at him.

"Is she OK? I don't understand. What's going on?"

"Lay." Will looked at her asking her to stop all questioning. He turned his attention back to his best friend. "We should talk to Principal Powers."

"And say what, Will? 'Oh, we went to club and Ivy freaked out after dancing with some dude'?" Magenta looked at Will stupidly. "Yeah, great plan."

The table fell silent and remained silent throughout the remainder of lunch.

Ivy's classes after lunch went by just as slowly as she thought they would, making the day seem like it was taking years to finish. Finally, last period came around, and just her luck, it was a Save the Citizen day. Everyone changed into their PE clothes and gathered in the gym. Taylor and Speed decided they'd be the first villains of the day, and Taylor felt the need to "embarrass the new girl", so she called Ivy down to be one of their hero's to fight against. When Taylor looked over at Warren and saw anger rush over his face, she called him as Ivy's partner, thinking it was time to teach him a lesson about respect.

Ivy sat her messenger bag on the bleacher closest to the arena, and pulled on the protective gear. Warren walked over to her and stood by her as she made sure everything was fastened on properly. Ivy ignored Warren's stare, and looked up at Coach Boomer angrily. She saw his face pale and a sad attempt at a smile that ended up being more like a worried lip-twitch. She focused again at the arena.

"Ivy." She looked at the coach annoyed. "Go easy on them."

She smirked and turned to face Taylor who was already forming ice spikes in her palms. Boomer yelled "Battle!" and Taylor launched a spike at Ivy, who just barely made it out of the line of fire. Warren threw a fireball at Taylor before he was knocked over by Speed. Ivy saw Warren crash to the ground, and the lights above them flickered. She looked back at Taylor who chucked another spike at her, and the lights flickered again. Ivy hid behind one of the benches momentarily, before it was frozen solid. Ivy stood and glared at Taylor who smiled a wicked smile and sent a blast of ice straight at her.

Ivy rolled out of the way, and stood to stare at Taylor. All her patience was officially lost.

"Would - you - stop - trying - to - freeze me!" Ivy yelled at the top of her lungs as she ran forward, and all the light drained from the room; overhead lights and outside sun included. All the students screamed, and Boomer used his sonic voice to tell everyone to stay seated. The light slowly returned and the students began to calm. Warren looked over to where Ivy had been just a moment before, and he saw torn remnants of her gym clothes and protective gear. He looked back and forth all over the arena, and opened his mouth to call her name.

A snarl made the entire gym freeze, and Warren's voice never came. All the students looked towards the entrance to the arena where the snarl had come from, and a larger than normal white panther stood staring at Taylor. The panthers black, grey and white eyes stared, fixated on the freeze-girl, and Taylor's blue gaze was locked in terror staring back at the panthers. The panther took a few steps towards the girl, making her take twice as many back.

Speed was the first to react to the panther, and he super-sped to try to knock the cat off its feet. The panther was completely un-phased by Speeds' speed and tore into his route, ripping him straight off the floor. The cat held Speed's leg between it's teeth, and tossed him aside like he was no bigger than a twig. The unusually large panther turned it's attention back to Taylor who began throwing more ice spikes. The white cat dogged them, quickly making its way over to terrified girl.

When the panther was nearly ten feet away, it pounced from the floor, knocking Taylor down, pinning and holding her there, growling and snarling at the girl. The panther lowered it's large head until it was but inches away from Taylor's, and it's stare bore into her eyes. She screamed as the panther hissed at her, it's black iris's and white pupils growing larger and more pleased with her response by the second.

"Stone!" Boomer used his sonic scream again, and the panther backed off Taylor, but not before giving one last growl. The panther turned it's attention to the citizen who was about to be sliced and diced, then it turned its large head to Warren who had been staring in amazement at the entire spectacle. The cat snarled at Warren who in turn looked in the citizen's direction. Warren shook his head clear of the distractions and ran over to save the dummy.

After he cut the dummy down and the match ended the cat stalked away to the changing rooms. Re-emerging more than fifteen minutes later, Ivy was changed and angry. She went straight to Boomer and his conversation with Warren, Will and the rest ceased immediately. Boomer turned to face her and immediately jumped back when she lunged her fist towards his face. Her knuckles collided with his right eye and he yelled in pain.

"I'm not--" He mumbled clutching his eye.

"Do you have any idea what you made me do! Do you understand what I could have done to her!" She screamed at the coach causing all her friends to leap back and give her plenty of space. "I could have killed her! How could you allow me in there!" As Ivy's voice rose and her eyes grew narrower and darker, her hair slowly started to fade from it's natural white to a flaming red. Her eyes turned her panther black, and her pupils split down the center more-so than they were already, and not white but red. Her ears slightly pointed in the cartilage, and her hands flexed while her nails grew and extended into something between hands and paws. She stopped yelling at the coach, unaware that her appearance had changed. All her friends simply gaped at her. The coach's face paled more than it had already, and he took a few more steps back from her, still clutching his eye.

"Ivy--" Zach started but stopped quickly when she whipped her head to face him and their friends. With only a side view before, they now saw her black and red eyes and their worry turned to fear. She saw the looks on their faces and she realized that she was no longer human. She took a step back, as if trying to escape herself. She looked down at her hands and she shut her eyes as hard as she could. When she reopened them, her hands were normal once again, and she felt her hair fade back to white with it's black streaks. She looked at Boomer who stared at her in complete horror.

"I-- I'm sorry-- I didn't--" Her wide, shocked eyes tried to apologize when her voice failed, but there was nothing she could have said at that moment that would have made a difference.

Boomer looked towards her friends. "You all should take her home. School is over and she shouldn't be here right now." His voice was dry and shaky, and he did not look at Ivy again, but walked out of the gym.

Warren went to her, and reached out to take her hand.

"Don't -- touch me." She said, unflinching. His hand froze midair at the cold warning, and he retracted it immediately. The light in the room grew dark and heavy, and she looked at her friends. Their fear had been replaced by confusion and questions, and she knew at that moment that should she wish to keep them in her life they needed answers. She turned to walk out of the gym and stopped when no one followed her.

"Are you coming?" She asked over her shoulder. Will looked at Layla, who nodded and the five friends followed their feline friend.

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Next chapter clears everything up, I promise! Reviews!! =)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

---

She unlocked the door to her apartment, and the five followed her inside. She motioned for them to sit on the couch, and she went to the fridge. She pulled out some soda, water, and a few bags of chips. She made her way back to the seating area, and put the snacks on the table between them. Layla, Will and Magenta all sat on the couch, while Zach sat on a chair, and Warren leaned against the small fireplace behind the chair Ivy sat in. No one, not even Zach, touched the food. They were all waiting for Ivy to speak.

_Breathe._

"Every Super, or mutant, or whatever you want to call them, has one specific set of genes that codes for their powers. If you have more than one power, like me and Will, you have more than one set of mutated genes. Basically, each power has a set of genes, and then there are the normal genes for everything else. But there are a few hundred people in the world who don't have _any_ genes to code for their shape-shifting. Like, looking at the genes, there is nothing other than their normal human ones and their standard powers. Like the shifting doesn't genetically exist." She took a deep breath, and continued. "I'm one of those cases. I have genes for my skin, for my empathy and for the light control, but nothing for the panther. My genes make me an unnaturally large panther, but I've heard others are hawks, sharks, eagles, foxes, wolves. All of them are larger than normal animals. Sometimes two or three times larger. It makes them stronger, less vulnerable."

She shook her head and stood up. She walked over to the window. The light outside darkened, and she turned her back to the window. She realized how much darker the room had gotten, and she looked at her friends in color, not for the first time, but this time noticing what they looked like, not just what they were wearing. Zach was pale, with very light blonde hair. Magenta wore purple and black in her hair with slightly tanned skin. Will had brown hair and eyes. And Layla had beautiful red hair with light ivory-toned skin. Ivy smiled to herself, and all her friends' faces went from listening to confused. She ignored their questioning eyebrows and continued speaking, with her back against the window.

"When you're in animal form, you don't have much, if any, control. You can change any body part you want at any time you want, but when you're in complete form, you lose most control over what you do. It's like you're there, you're watching it, and you yell to stop before you hurt someone, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't make a difference really. My mom was very persistent in training my Absolute form to respond to the name "Stone", so if I ever go crazy, say it and I'll back off or whatever. It's like a safe-word. It's the only thing that keeps me grounded when I'm in cat-form. The only thing I have a substantial amount of control over is when to change back, obviously. I don't always have control changing, though. Like today with Taylor. I got angry and my cat side fought its way out." She shook her had slightly.

"That must be so cool, man. On Halloween you can like, go out with your tail hangin' out and stuff." Zach laughed to himself. Everyone else just looked at him. He stopped laughing and caught on to the silence, and he shrunk a bit in his seat.

"The only problem with staying in the Absolute form, is that if you stay for too long, you could get stuck there. The longest I've stayed was thirty minutes. It seems short, but it's an eternity when you're looking at it from a panther's point of view. And even then, I almost got stuck in it."

"Stuck?" Layla looked worried.

"Yeah. It was hard to change back, and not as fast as normal. Not all of me came back either. I couldn't reverse my eyes completely, so the pupils are the tiniest bit split, and I see in black and white."

"Like you're color blind?" Will asked.

Warren snorted.

"No, I see in shades of black, gray and white instead of colors. But only when it's light out. When it's dark I see color again. I don't know why, though. In panther form I always saw in black and white. But either way, my pupils and my sight never went back. Neither did my reflexes, so instead of have human ones, I have super-cat ones."

Magenta looked utterly confused, and the look on her face forced a laugh to escape Ivy. "I can jump up to forty feet and land standing. My hearing is also above average, but it's not as good as when I'm all 'rawr'" She made a claw-shape with her hand for emphasis.

"You said there were others like you. Have you ever met any of them?" Will finally took a bag of chips and opened it.

"No." She paused. "Not until that night at the club." Warren took a step forward. "The guy I was dancing with is also an Absolute."

"How do you know? Can you like, sense it?" Layla took a chip from Will.

"No, he had started to change right before Warren came out to find me. You have to understand, the Absolutes think they're the next stage of being a Super. They think they're above everyone else, and their main concern is to find all the others and continue to build and expand the Coven they've made. My mom had scanned a few Absolutes' minds, and found that a Seer, like a prophet-type had a vision about a white panther. The panther apparently is the strongest Absolute, and is supposed to break the Coven. She did all she could to protect me, but somehow, they found me. One of the older Absolutes of the Coven can track us all, so whenever I change if he's trying to find me, he can. That's one of the many reasons I don't do it."

"My head hurts. This is so much to take in. How do you do it?" Magenta rolled her finger over her temple.

Ivy shrugged and went back to the table. She took a chip and sat back down in her chair. "I don't know how Blake found me, or what he wants. I just hope he leaves me alone." She broke the chip in half, but didn't eat it.

Layla walked over to her, and kneeled down beside the chair. "Whatever his problem is, we're here to help you, OK?" Ivy looked at her with thankful eyes and nodded. Layla squeezed Ivy's hand and went back to the couch where her boyfriend and best friend sat munching.

"Yeah, I agree with Layla. We can totally take this guy." Zach smiled excitedly, and Ivy couldn't help but smile back at him. "Yo, Ivy, didn't you say you had more than one power?"

Ivy stopped smiling and her face paled. She turned to look at Warren who looked back at her and then walked toward the window. He copied Ivy by staring out the window. But Warren didn't turn back around. Ivy looked down at the floor, then back at Zach. She smiled weakly and opened her mouth a bit to speak.

"My skin-- Um-- It--" She panicked and looked at Warren for help.

He sensed the eyes on the back of his head and spoke. "She'll flambé you if you touch her skin to skin."

Ivy looked at him and her pleading expression turned angry for an instant. "Gee, thanks for being so nice about it."

He turned back to face her. "Anytime."

Ivy scowled and returned her attention to the others. "If you touch me, skin to skin, I'll burn you. If you touch me long enough, I can set you on fire."

Layla looked down at her hand and saw nothing. "But I just..." She looked back at Ivy confused.

"The doctor I mentioned earlier was a really good friend of my moms. Karmichael specializes in Supers with uncontrollable powers that are hazardous to others. Like me. He developed a serum that I can take that suppresses my skin for two days at a time. I've used two doses of it already. One on Friday before the club, and one this morning."

"That's why you didn't want Speed to touch you at school, huh?" Magenta drank some soda and Ivy nodded.

"Yeah. I hadn't had any contact for years. Not even my mom could touch me. Except when I was in cat form, but being snuggly isn't exactly my alter ego's favorite hobby." A faint smile crossed her face. A smile that held a memory and a longing of something that wasn't as happy chasing bunnies for fun. She looked back at Warren who was looking back out the window. The light faded more as Ivy's eyes fell to the floor.

Layla looked out the window. "How'd it get so dark all of a sudden? It was so pretty earlier!" She looked so upset that Ivy smiled again.

"My fault, sorry." She closed her eyes, and the outside light grew bright again, making the apartment light and making her vision black and white again. She opened her eyes and shrugged. "I can also control light. Not like, electricity, but light itself. I can bury light, make it fold in on itself so that it doesn't shine outward. It's pretty cool, but it tends to darken automatically when I'm sad. I could never really figure that part out." She shrugged again.

Will munched a bit more. "Anything else we should know about?" He chuckled a bit, but Ivy seriously thought for a moment.

"Absolute, light, skin. Hm. Oh! I have minor empath abilities, but when I say minor, I mean like, if someone's angry enough to kill someone my skin will burn white hot with their anger. Like, pure emotion I can feel, but nothing else. Like right now I can't feel crap." She drank some water and continued. "And I don't know if my hair is connected to the empath thing, or if it's just weird on its own, but when I'm filled with some pure emotion my hair changes colors."

"Like in the gym today after you socked Boomer?" Zach asked.

"Yeah. It turned red, huh?" They all nodded. "Yeah, red when I'm angry, black when I'm grieving. I've never had any other colors, though. I can also control it slightly. Like the black in my hair now is my doing. It fades after a little while, but its fun while it lasts." She shrugged.

"What about the cat-eyes?" Warren growled his corner.

Ivy looked towards him. "Eh?"

"In the gym, your eyes went back to being the panthers, but the pupils were red, not white." He turned around again, and rested his back against the window.

"It's only happened a few times in my life. I don't know why it happens, or what triggers it." She stood up and walked over to Warren. She stopped short when he turned his back to her. She ran a hand through her hair, then shoved them both into her pockets. "I'm sorry, Warren. I shouldn't have been so mean to you." She returned to Layla and the rest who looked at her with admiration for having just apologized to Warren for something other than trying to sit with him at lunch, or dropping something in his way.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Warren grabbed his bag and left the apartment before anyone had time to react.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ivy looked at Will first.

Will just shook his head sadly. "No. He isn't big on sentimental moments."

"Oh." Her face fell. "I wasn't trying to be sentimental. I was wrong, and I was just trying to apologize."

"Like I said, sentimental." Will tried to smile.

"Oh." She was silent for a moment. "Speaking of apologizing, I should call my aunt and see how Boomer's eye is." They all smiled at the thought of Boomer having a black and blue eye, even Layla.

The five supers sat around Ivy's table for an hour more before deciding they should head home. After everyone left, Ivy called her aunt and explained what happened. The principal told her that Boomer had explained the situation earlier, and that he was okay. She reprimanded Ivy for not having self-control, but in the end understood why she had been so angry, and said that Boomer should have talked to them both about how Ivy was to play Save the Citizen fairly and not threateningly, first. They talked for a few minutes more and decided to go out to dinner that night.

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Thanks for the reviews everyone!! I hope I explained everything enough... =\ Anyway, I'll update again soon. Lemme know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

Ivy hung up the phone and went to her bedroom to change out of her dark clothes. She grabbed a simple gray spaghetti strapped dress with a flowy skirt that came down to her knees. She put on clunky black boots that were almost military style, but with a three-inch heel, and her black Guess jacket that she wore over everything. She reversed the black streaks so that her hair was plain white again, and decided that she needed a haircut; her girl-next-door look was getting old. Straight bangs, cut just above her eyebrows, and the completely even ended cut that stopped midway down her shoulder blades had been the only style she'd worn her hair in for the better part of her life. It was time for something new.

She glanced at her clock and saw she still had over an hour until her dinner plans. Grabbing her keys and purse, she practically ran out of the apartment and down to her Wrangler that she had gone back to Will's place for sometime in the dead of the night that past weekend. She drove for a few minutes before spotting a chic-looking hair place. She parked the car, and walked into the small salon.

Ivy was told to take a seat and she took up a hair magazine and glanced through the different styles. She decided that she wanted her hair layered and choppy. She was tired of the straight, perfect look. She landed on the page that had the perfect cut right as the stylist called her name. She showed the woman the haircut she wanted and thirty minutes later, she left the shop with her new self.

She met her aunt at an Italian restaurant, and they talked and ate for a few hours while Ivy told her aunt all about Greece, and about how after her mother died she got into some pretty bad habits, namely alcohol abuse. She told her aunt about her rehabilitation program, and how after she got out, she became silent. Not because she didn't want to talk, but because she had nothing to say. She told her aunt how over the years of silence, she had learned to appreciate everything so much more, and learned to control herself so much more; with the exception of that afternoon. She told her aunt all about Karmichael's serum and how it worked. She told Evelyn how she had just revealed her powers to her friends that afternoon, and they seemed to be okay with it all. Evelyn was so grateful to know that Ivy was okay, and living healthily again. She, in return, told Ivy about her husband, and married life, and how they were thinking about having kids, getting a pet, and moving into a larger house so they could really start a family.

The two of them shared laughs and memories of the old times at Sky High, when Christine taught a Physical Defense class to both the Heroes and the Sidekicks. They talked about why Christine had taken Ivy away from Maxville, and Evelyn admitted that there had been a rumor of another Absolute looking for her, and that Christine thought it was best if they leave before anything happened. She said that Christine chose Louisiana because there was a large Super community down there, but it wasn't suspicious.

After an all-too-large dinner and dessert the two women left the restaurant. They walked a little ways down the street before crossing to the other side. The stopped on the corner to say goodbye, when Warren showed up out of what seemed like nowhere.

"Warren." Ivy was shocked to see him.

"Hi." He was just as shocked. "Principal Powers. Hi." His shock then turned to an understanding look.

"Mr. Peace." She nodded curtly.

"What are you doing here? Not that you aren't allowed to be here. Just-- Here." Ivy moved her hands around gesturing to the surrounding vacinity.

"Just got off work." he nodded back to the Chinese restaurant behind him.

"Right, I forgot you worked around here. Me and my aunt were at dinner down the street."

He made a 'Hm' sound and nodded.

"Well, I should be going. It's getting late, and unlike you young people, I need all the sleep I can get." Evelyn smiled humorously. She hugged Ivy and smiled goodbye to her niece. "Mr. Peace." She said politely.

After Evelyn was gone down the street, Ivy turned her attention back to her friend.

"Did you need a ride home?" She offered.

"Nah, I live pretty close. I usually walk." He responded awkwardly.

"You shouldn't walk alone in the dark. It isn't always safe." She cautioned him trying not to sound too motherly.

"I can take care of myself."

"Oh, I didn't mean to imply-- I know you can-- I was just--" She stopped and blushed a little from embarrassment.

He smiled at her pink cheeks.

"A ride home would be great. My feet are killing me."

Ivy looked relieved, and the color in her face returned to normal. She lead the way to her car, and warned him that the seatbelt got stuck sometimes. She turned the car on, and a blast of Spice Girls filled the small space. Warren looked pale, and Ivy changed the song immediately.

"Sorry. I have a weakness for British Pop singers." She apologetically offered a lame excuse.

"Mhm." He raised an accusing eyebrow at her.

She grabbed the CD she wanted and skipped ahead to track six before backing out of the parking spot.

"Puscifer. Good choice." She smiled at his approval and relaxed a little.

The drive to Warrens house was silent aside from her soft singing.

_"Before I go tell me, Were you all you claim yourself to be..."_

"Left, and it's the third house on the right." Warren interrupted her.

She pulled over to let him out.

"There aren't any lights on. Aren't your parents home?" She looked past him at the dark house, wondering if he would say anything about Baron.

"Moms barely home. She's a writer so she likes to travel to foreign places and crank out her work there. I don't know what difference it makes, but whatever." He looked at the dark house. "Then again, you probably already knew all that."

Ivy ignored the last comment. "Well, art needs to be inspired. Maybe the inspiration she's looking for isn't in Maxville. What kind of writing does she do? My mom never told me specifics, really."

"Novels mostly. Sometimes an editorial, or a magazine article. She'll write for National Geographic occasionally, too." He looked back at Ivy. "Anyway, thanks for the ride." He opened the door and climbed out of the car. He grabbed his bag, and moved to close the door. Before it shut, he stuck his head back in and smiled. "Nice cut, by the way. More you." Warren shut the door and climbed the few steps to his front door.

Ivy gave a small laugh and studied the house. It was two stories, and in an upscale part of town. Not quite what she had expected from the grungy punk-rocker, but she was hardly one to talk about appearances being deceiving. _It looks so lonely for just him and his mom..._ She started the car and drove down the street, realizing he had been in a better mood than when he left her apartment. She made a note to remember to ask him later what was up.

She pulled into the parking garage at her building and headed up to her apartment. Dropping her bag and slipping into gym pants, a sweatshirt, and sneakers she climbed out onto the fire escape that was off of her room. She leaned over the railing and looked out over Maxville. She looked back at the building letting her eyes map out a route to get to the roof so she had a better view.

She jumped a little, grabbing hold of a small ledge above her. She pulled herself up, and swung a leg onto it so she could position herself in a standing manner. She repeated the process, jumping a tad higher so she could wrap her fingers around the top ledge of the building. She hoisted herself onto the edge, and hopped down a foot to the floor below. She assumed the roof was a popular place because there were a few chairs and even a small bench and table. She took a seat on one of the chairs and looked towards the city lights, admiring the soft glow they emitted.

Ivy lost track of how long she had been sitting on the roof of her apartment building, but the wind grew chilly, and she decided it was time to return to the warm comfort of her bed. She pulled her sweatshirt hood up, and wrapped the cloth around her tighter, ignoring the obvious increase of coldness in the air. She tried as slickly as she could to look around, so she stood up and went to the left edge. She looked around a bit and didn't see anything. _Something isn't right. Come out, come out, wherever you are._ She did the same on the right, and she caught site of a small gray glow coming from a few buildings away. It was a tall figure, and she could tell it was in a cloak, but even her color vision wasn't good enough for her to decipher who it was, or even if it was a man or a woman.

As inconspicuously as she could, she climbed back down to her balcony, and back in her apartment. She closed the window, and pulled the drapes shut. Too tired and worried to change, she crawled into bed and fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry it's been a while... I've been super busy... Hopefully more will come soon!

Disclaimer: Ye owneth not Sky High.

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The next morning, Ivy decided not to worry about the glowing person. She went through her day without incident, and got tons of compliments on her new, slightly experimental haircut, no one mentioning the incident in gym the day before. For the next month and a half, she grew to love her friends even more than she did already, and everything seemed to be going just right in general. The glowing person hadn't returned to the rooftop since that one night, she had gotten a job at a local high-fashion boutique, more for fun than anything else, and she had finally gotten her wish of dunking Zach in the pool in her apartment building. Life was swell.

About two months after the night of glowing figure, she had woke up with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was the same feeling the chill in the wind had given her. It worried her, but she tried not to let it get too intense. That morning she ultimately chose to be a little less conservative than her normal slacks and plain white t-shirt. _I worry too much_. She smiled and pulled on low, tight, dark jeans and a black and white fitted striped cap-sleeved tee, that left the tiniest sliver of her midsection bare. She pulled on her black combat-esque boots, and tucked her jeans into them, then took up her black jacket. She had only used about half the serum supply, and wanted to save as much as she could until she got the new shipment from Karmichael, so she grabbed her long black gloves to go along with the outfit.

The day went by quickly, and since she had the day off work, she headed straight home to get rid of her homework as soon as possible. After finishing her nine page lab report for Medulla, she decided Chinese was a good plan. She still hadn't eaten at the Paper Lantern, regardless of all the times she and Will picked Warren up. It was a Wednesday, so she knew he was working as a waiter and not just a busboy. _As good a time as ever to visit._ She grabbed her jacket and car keys and went to the restaurant.

Ivy took a seat at a corner table and waited for Warren to come get her order. He dropped an order off at a table he'd been helping, then walked over to Ivy's table. It wasn't until he stopped and asked if she wanted anything to drink that he noticed it was her.

"Oh. You." And he sat down opposite her.

She laughed. "Yeah. Me. You look cute in your waiter outfit. Although, I like the busboy sweatiness a bit more." He turned a very bright red, and she chuckled at his wide eyed expression. Once her laughter stopped she opened the menu. "So, what's good here?"

Fighting back any retorts he would have normally come up with, he learned over to look at the menu. "I'm partial to Mongolian Beef and Sweet and Sour Pork. It's usually the freshest."

"Hm. I do like my meat fresh." She pondered the menu a bit more, suppressing a laugh at his re-reddened face. "Oh, relax." She put the menu down and looked at him. "You're too uptight."

He opened his mouth to respond when a yell came from the kitchen.

"Go. I'll be here for a bit. Besides, this cute waiter I know needs a ride home, and he doesn't get off work for another hour."

He smiled and left the table. _He doesn't laugh as much anymore. I should ask __him about that._ He brought her some of his favorite dishes a few minutes later, and she sat and ate until closing. He came out of the back and met her with his leather jacket and backpack, and she stood ready to leave.

The ride home was awkward and uncomfortable as Warren said nothing, but simply stared out the window. Ivy parked outside his house like she had become accustomed to, she turned the car off, and locked the doors. He turned his head to her and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong." She demanded.

"Nothing?" He went to unlock the door, but she just locked it again.

"Don't make me ask you again. What's going on, tell me."

He looked into her saddening gray eyes, and his face hardened. "I'm fine. I have to go." He unlocked the door and slammed it shut.

She watched him walk up the path to his all too familiar front door, and she sighed.

Back at her apartment building she parked her car in the garage, and went straight to the rooftop, only pausing inside to put her jacket, boots, keys, and wallet down. She sat on the rooftop and noticed the gray glow again. She sat for a few minutes more, then made a show of rubbing her arms like it was cold out. She headed towards the edge so she could go back down, and a hand grabbed her left wrist and whipped her around.

"Miss me?" A thin, crazed smile was worn by the lips of the hooded man, as she now identified him. The shadow of the hood covered all of his face, but left his mouth and chin in the light. _How clich__é__._

"Let go of me." She pulled her arm, but he didn't let go.

"Make me." He teased her threateningly, but she didn't see the humor in it that he did. She was suddenly grateful that she hadn't used her serum that morning. While his hands wore gloves, hers didn't so she reached up and slammed her hand square on his cheek, pushing his face back. He screamed in pain mumbling about the burn, and she kneed him in the chest as he was so distracted by his face that would probably be disfigured permanently. He curled over clutching at his stomach with his other hand, and she latched both her hands together, and brought the mega-fist down on his back, causing him to fall to the ground with an "oof".

She ran for the edge and knew she didn't have time to climb down it. She jumped off the edge and landed on her feet with an unnatural bounce and ease, and she ran. _Where. Oh god, where. Quick. Think. Run. Warren._ She headed straight for Warren's house never once slowing her pace. She rounded a corner and ran right into the hooded mans' grasp. His one hand closed around her neck, and was soon joined by the other, and she looked at the hand-shaped burn on his face.

She thrashed and hit at the man but he didn't let go.

"Silly. How simply silly. Did you really think you could hurt me? How _could_ you?" She looked into his hood and saw his glimmering green eyes turn to a challenging dark black. _Blake._ Her face turned cold, and her mouth curled into a menacing smile that accepted his challenge. She knew he wanted her to change to her Absolute, and she didn't care what the consequences were. He deserved what he got. She continued to thrash at him, and he laughed maniacally. Slowly, her skin melted away, and her body unfolded itself, the way a bud unfolds into a flower. Her scared gray eyes unfolded into the panthers large, angry black ones, and her body followed their lead, slowly turning from pale white flesh to harsh white fur. Her clothes ripped and tore away from the body, and the panther more than twice Ivy's size replaced her small frame. Blake's hand didn't move from the throat of the panther, but instead it grew tighter, and his laugh ceased and turned to an amazed smile.

The panther snarled and continued to thrash, but no longer hitting the space between their bodies. Now it was paw and claw colliding with cloth and skin. Blood dripped in streaks from his sides but he took no notice and just continued to stare at the white panther he was choking. Finally, the panther moved its great paws to rest on Blake's' shoulders. The panther hooked it's claws into his flesh the way a fishhook was hooked inside a salmon. The panther saw Blake wince at the pain, and in one quick moment, it pushed off it's back paws it was standing on, and kicked Blake in his stomach, not only forcing him to go speeding back, but tearing the huge claws from his arms, shredding his skin as if it were as soft as butter. The rips ran from shoulder to wrist on both arms, and Blake hit the ground unconscious from the force. Meanwhile, the panther flipped sideways so it landed on its feet. Ivy cringed at the pain of her left paw hitting the ground with that amount of impact. _Wait. My paw? No. No time. Later._ Ivy forced her thoughts into the panther, and steered it until it took off running in the direction of Warrens house.

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Questions, comments, concerns? Reviews are always welcome!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High

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The panther clawed at Warren's front door, growling and snarling banging as hard as it could without hurting itself further. Finally, a very annoyed and sleep-deprived Warren opened the door and jumped back at the sight of the panther standing before him. The cat bounded inside and with its right paw pushed the door shut. It immediately switched to standing on its right paw, and held it's left one up.

"Ivy?" Warren now recognized the giant feline.

The cat tried to take a step towards him, but as soon as its left paw hit the floor it let out a large whine that had been held in for over thirteen blocks. Warren recognized it as a sign of pain and pointed to the nearby living room. The panther limped in making sounds of agony every time the paw touched the ground. Warren rushed into his kitchen grabbing ice, wrist splints, and ace bandages. He returned to see the large panther curled into a ball on the living room floor, and he knelt beside it.

"Ivy. I need you to come back. I can't help the panther. You said you can control the change, so do it." He searched the large black and white eyes, and slowly, they began to fold in upon themselves revealing the normal gray Warren was so used to seeing. He looked down at the rest of her and watched her body follow, folding in on itself as if the cat was being reabsorbed into the human.

When the change was complete, Ivy was huddled naked on his floor, clutching her body, shivering, bruised, and tired.

"Oh, shit." He whispered looking down at her. He grabbed a gray wool blanket off his couch and draped it over her. She tried to smile, but was too weak to fully accomplish the task. He reached out and gently lifted her onto the couch, careful not to let the blanket fall off her. She was barely able to wrap the blanket around herself so it wasn't just resting on her, but managed well enough. He sat next to her and took her wrist, not asking a single question.

She smiled as much as she could. "If anyone walked in right now," she took a deep breath, "this would be totally incriminating." She attempted a laugh. Warren looked at her confused. "Nice boxers." She quickly glanced down at his banana-print Joe Boxer underwear. He looked down himself and smiled when he finally understood what she was talking about.

"Even injured and bruised, you're still making sexual jokes." He mused at her.

"Someone has to." She didn't try a smile this time.

He ignored her comment, and carefully splinted her wrist. Before she ask how he knew what to do, he answered. "My moms good friend is a nurse, and when she got tired of being called over to splint my ligaments, she taught me how to do them on my own."

"Oh." She looked down at her wrist, unsure of what to say next. "Do you have anything to drink? Something with sugar?"

"I think I have some soda." He came back a moment later with a liter bottle a glass, and a phone. He had Will on speed dial, so as the phone rang on the other line, he opened the bottle and leaned over the table to start to pour the Pepsi. She intercepted the action however, and took the bottle itself and chugged. Warren stared in such disgust at the amount of soda she was drinking that it was on the third "Hello?" that he noticed Will had answered. Warren simply told him to get the guys and come over. He also asked to have Layla bring Ivy some clothes. When Will asked why, and what they'd been doing that she needed clothes, Warren told him to shove it and hung up.

After Ivy finished the entire liter, she dropped the bottle to the floor, and her face began to regain its natural white, instead of the sickly one it held initially.

She turned to look at Warren and gave him an actual smile. "Might want to put some clothes on first."

He glanced down at himself again and nodded. "Point taken."

He came back down right as there was a rushed knock at his front door. He looked out the peephole and saw their friends standing impatiently. He opened the door and they all pushed passed him and went straight for Ivy.

"Yeah, sure, come on in." Warren said sarcastically to no one as he closed the door.

They all saw her sitting on the couch huddled in the gray blanket, with a splinted wrist.

"What happened? Are you OK?" Will stood above her, while the others crowded around.

"I brought you some clothes; the only gray t-shirt I own." Layla looked worried.

"Thanks, Lay. And I'm fine. My wrist hurts like a mother, but I really am fine." Ivy tried to console her friends. She recapped the events, how two months prior she had seen a cloaked man but brushed it off as nothing, and how he hadn't returned since. She told them how he cornered her and bruised her wrist, and how she had burned her hand-print into his face. She told them how she ran and somehow he got ahead of her and she ran right into a choke-hold. She told them about the challenge, and the change, but left out the gory skin-tearing details. Magenta probably wouldn't have minded, but Layla got squeamish easily. She also told them that when she hit the ground, she felt the pain the panther felt.

"It's the first time that's ever happened. If the panther gets injured, I'll see it, and when I'm human again I'll feel it, but as the panther, I don't feel it. It's like me and the panther are two different people." She sat on the couch looking across the table at her concerned friends. She still shivered, and when they insisted on more blankets, she promised them it wouldn't make a difference.

After about an hour of answering questions and retelling the story a second time, Will, Layla, Zach and Magenta rose to leave. Ivy stayed on the couch, not feeling well enough to stand just yet. Layla moved to give Ivy a hug.

"No serum today." Ivy stated blankly, and Layla made a circle around the table back to where she'd been standing before. Everyone laughed her little display, and she blushed.

"Can I trust you brought me a bra?" Ivy asked hopefully.

"Of course I did. It's a little big on me, so it'll probably fit you fine. There's also some underwear. You're lucky I'd just bought some new ones, otherwise you'd be stuck with mine. I didn't know if you were my size shoe, though, so I just brought you black flip-flops that my cousin left at my house over the summer. She was a little taller than you, so I figured you'd be around the same size." Layla smiled proudly.

"Seriously, why do you guys feel the need to talk about all your undergarments around us?" Zach was bright red, and not being ghetto about the situation. Ivy laughed a little.

"Why do you guys feel the need to get so embarrassed by it?" Magenta laughed at Will and Warren diverting their attention to something other than the girls. She chuckled again and pushed Zach in the direction of the door. "We'll see you guys tomorrow. Take care of her, Warren. Or else." Magenta was very stern sometimes.

"Or else what, Rat?" Warren's eyes sparked humorously.

"Or else I'll come crawl on you in your sleep." She laughed at his paled face.

"That's not funny." He opened the door and shoved her out.

"Maybe we can cuddle, too!" Magenta beamed with sarcasm.

Through his straight face Warren managed a spiteful, "Get out."

"Oh, shoot." Layla stopped. "I forgot to get you some pajamas, I just brought jeans."

"It's fine, I'm sure my mom has something upstairs." Warren offered. Layla smiled and waved goodbye, ignoring Warren and Magenta's conversation.

Warren and Ivy said goodbye to the rest of them, and he closed the door once they'd filed out. When he turned back around he saw Ivy trying to stand. He rushed forward to help her.

"Warren? I'm fine." She watched him pause and hesitate before deciding not to push the matter.

She stood straight up and looked across the living room at the boy staring back at her. She had never seen him in such a lack of clothes, and she took the time to appreciate his physique. She took note of the white wife-beater and black sweats he had put over his banana boxers. She looked at his hair pulled back into a bun, the way he wore for work, _He looks like a Samurai_. She smiled slightly. She let her gaze fall over his dark charcoal eyes, and his strong, carved face. She followed his thick neck down to his shoulders and arms and hands. She scanned over his tall legs, and all the way back up. She'd never really noticed how big he was, but standing before her now without his big leather jacket, or hunched over brooding, she realized how huge he was.

Staring at her, Warren wondered if he'd ever get to see her dance something that wasn't salsa. He watched her silver eyes watch him, and he noticed that they were, in fact, a matte silver, not just gray. He looked at her delicate face; her large almond-shaped eyes, perfect nose, and full lips. He noticed how clean and neat her eyebrows were, and followed the trace of her hairline. He laughed silently at how her hair had gone from Jovovich in _Ultraviolet_, to something he couldn't quite name. He looked over her pure white hair, and looked at her thin neck. He looked at her posture and couldn't help but laugh at how much she looked like a ballerina. He watched the way she held the blanket wrapped around her arms and body, but leaving her shoulders and collar bone bare. He looked down the straight blanket at her feet, and gave a small smile when he saw a tattoo on her left calf. It looked like two bass clefs, but from where he stood he couldn't tell. He had to remember to ask later. He retraced the path he carved, and slowly found his way back to her beautiful, half-human eyes.

They stared at each, and both blushed uncontrollably. Neither could decide if they were more embarrassed because they'd been caught looking at the other, or because they caught the other looking at them.

"I, uh," Ivy cleared her throat, "need to wash my face. Can I use the bathroom?" She shifted awkwardly.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. It's, uh, down the hall on the left." He stupidly pointed down the only hall there was. "I'll try to find you some sweats or something." He took off up the stairs before she had a chance to thank him.

She rummaged through the bag with her good hand, and found a toothbrush and hairbrush. She made her way down the hallway and finally found the little butter-yellow bathroom. It only had a toilet and a sink, and she wondered what the point of a bathroom was, without a shower. _I suppose it makes sense if you have company over, though. Don't want them roaming around your house._ She washed her face, and brushed her teeth. She put a little water into her hair before plaiting it into a messy braid. She still hadn't figured out to braid her short hair, and minimal use of her left hand didn't help.

She got back to the couch and lay down, still wrapped in her gray blanket. She closed her eyes, for what she thought would only be a moment, and she was asleep instantly. When Warren returned no more than five minutes later, he saw her curled up on the couch, and decided not to wake her. He left the sweats and t-shirt on the arm of the couch, and returned to his own bed to go back to sleep.

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Reviews are awesome, guys!!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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In the morning, Warren woke up to see he still had over forty minutes before he had to actually get up. He decided then and there that waking up too early was a bad habit that needed immediate breaking. He stumbled sleepily out of his bed, and headed down to the living room. He saw Ivy was in the same position she had been in when he left her only a few hours earlier, and he decided not to jump on her, as was he and Ivy's' custom when the six friends spent the night together. He smiled at the thought of it, but seeing as she was both injured and naked, he thought making breakfast was a better idea.

The plate of pancakes was steaming on the kitchen table, and he made sure to put out a small bowl with blueberries and chocolate chips, since she didn't like the pancakes made with the extras inside. He was pouring water into the coffee filter when a loud "mmm" sound came from the door.

"You know just the way to get to a girls heart." She sat at the table and yawned.

Warren grabbed two mugs and sat down opposite her. He raised an infamous eyebrow while looking at the gray blanket. She must have read his thoughts, because she answered his question.

"It wouldn't make sense for me to put on clean clothes just to take them off in ten minutes when I shower. Because I will shower. This hair," she pointed flamboyantly to her messy white hair, "not cute." She wrapped blueberries and chips in a pancake, rolled it like a burrito, drenched it in syrup and took a huge bite from it. "Delicious." She smiled a syrupy, drippy smile, causing Warren to role his eyes.

After they put the leftover pancakes in the fridge, and the dishes in the washer, she followed him upstairs. He showed her to the bathroom and grabbed a clean towel for her.

"You can change here or my room, whichever you'd prefer. And please don't use all the hot water?" He begged slightly, and she laughed a little at how his bottom lip became slightly pouty.

Ivy looked around the blue and green and white bathroom and her laugh faded. She pointed to an aqua colored tile. "That's the color my eyes used to be." Her voice held a sadness Warren had never heard before. "Before I couldn't change them back, I mean." She looked in the mirror next to the tile, and stared at the silvery eyes.

"They weren't always silver?" He leaned against the door frame.

"No. They were blue-green. The same as my moms. They faded to gray before turning black. But that one day, they never faded all the way back." She looked at the room. "These used to be my colors. But since my eye color changed, it didn't make sense to keep them. Blue didn't look right anymore, and green made me sad."

"How can you tell the difference between colors if you can't actually see them?" He didn't understand.

"I couldn't at first. Slowly, with practice, I figured it out. I can't explain it, but different colors have different textures in shades of gray. No matter what shade of pink, it will always look ribbed, like your wife-beater. Or purple always looks like veins in carved wood. Stuff like that." She shrugged. "Sometimes when there's more than one color it's hard to separate them. Most of time I can tell, but if it's too bright or something it's useless. I tend to stay away from that type." She looked at Warren and saw a look of pity on his face. She stared at him angrily, and he took the hint.

"You should shower. You're starting to make my house smell like cat." He smirked a little and he left, but not before she laughed and called him a jerk.

Her shower was quick so Warren had plenty of hot water. She got out and wasn't sure what time it was, so she figured it'd be better to change in his room so he could shower just in case it was getting late. She wrapped the towel around her body and tucked the corner in so that she could carry her bag to his room down the hall. Ivy unlocked and opened the door and wandered on down towards the direction he had pointed in. She finally came to a room and saw Warren sitting Indian style on his bed, chewing on a pen cap while reading his science text. He looked up and the pen cap dropped out of his mouth.

"Now who smells." She dropped her bag on the floor and gave him a lame noogy, only so she mess his hair up more than it already was. He swatted her hand away and closed the science book. "Didn't finish your homework?"

"Not science. I was too tired after work, and I didn't understand it." He grabbed a pair of fresh boxers.

"I can help you on the way to school. It wasn't that bad." She remembered how mean he'd been when she dropped him off from work, and as much as she wanted to ask why, she didn't feel like starting a fight so early in the morning. Especially since he'd been taking care of her all night and morning. She looked at the new boxers he was hold and stifled a laugh.

"What?" He eyed her suspiciously.

"Dinosaurs. How cute." She bit her lip to keep from laughing harder.

"Jurassic Park is an awesome movie. Don't you _dare_ diss dinosaurs." He warned her, but she couldn't contain herself, and she burst out laughing at his ridiculous black boxers with kiddie dinosaurs. He threw his arms up in frustration and marched down the hall, slamming the bathroom door shut. Ivy laughed harder.

About ten minutes later, Warren knocked on the bedroom door.

"Yeah, come on in." Ivy called.

He opened the door and threw his dirty clothes on the bed. He watched Ivy as she struggled to towel dry her hair with one hand. He laughed a little before helping her. She thanked him and sat on his bed while he got dressed. She watched Warren as he pulled on a pair of black jeans. She watched his shoulder blades dance in his back, and the muscles move and contract as he moved his arms. And she watched it all disappear beneath a black t-shirt. She hid her saddened expression as she saw him turn around and towel dry his own hair a bit. He sat on his bed and pulled on his boots.

"You're so boring." He stopped buckling his boots and looked at Ivy.

"Wow, thanks." He cocked his head to side looking at her.

"And you look like a chicken when you do that." She used her one good hand to straighten his head back on his shoulders.

He resumed putting on his shoes and asked, "Why am I boring?"

"All you wear is black t-shirts and black shoes and black pants and black everything. Why can't you be eccentric sometimes? Wear red more often. It brings out the streaks. Do something. Black is so boring after a while. Trust me, I know." She laughed as she pulled one of the red streaks, and he made an "OW!" face.

"I'll try to remember that." He stood up and pulled on his jacket. "And just so you know, I used to wear red daily." He paused, embarrassed. "I kinda grew out of all the red shirts, and I hate shopping, so I never got new ones." He looked at her, and saw a small smile play across her lips. He quickly changed the topic. "My mom has some old bike gloves you can borrow. The very tips of the fingers are cut off, but you're welcome to use them anyway." He picked up his bag and made for the door.

She picked up Layla's hair and tooth brushes and handed them to Warren to put in his bag. "They'd be better than nothing." Ivy followed him back downstairs and waited as he fumbled around in a hallway dresser looking for the gloves. She looked in a mirror that hung on the wall and scowled quietly. "I hate it when my hair gets that random wave thing going on. It looks so weird." She tried to straighten the minor waves out, but failed.

Warren looked up and shrugged. "It looks fine. All you're going to do is make it frizzy and fluffy and then you'll just complain all day, so stop touching it." He handed her a pair of gloves. She made a funny face at him and put the gloves on. He opened the hall closet and grabbed a smaller leather jacket and held it out to her.

"You'll be cold without a jacket."

She took the jacket from his hands and slipped it on. She looked in the mirror, and became almost giddy at the reflection staring back at her. "I look so tough!" She laughed herself. A plain gray long sleeved shirt, with baggy pants and a leather jacket. She couldn't help but laugh. "This is so not me. Look at the pants!" She laughed as she looked down at them. They weren't huge, but she was used to slacks, or skin tight jeans, not baggy pants that hung off her hips.

"Come on." He pushed her out the door while she continued to laugh at herself.

The sat at the bus stop and Ivy started to explain the science homework to him. When the bus pulled up to them, Warren had barely finished, but was relieved to have it done. They immediately spotted their friends and sat down with them.

"How's your wrist?" Magenta looked at the splint.

"It's doing a lot better. It'll be normal again by this afternoon. I'm lucky Absolutes heal like a zillion times faster than normal people, otherwise I'd be royally screwed." Will chuckled at her. "Thanks again for the clothes, Layla. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. The pants are big on you, too, huh?" Ivy looked down at them and nodded. "My mom bought them for me, but they just never fit right. I tried a belt and it just looked ridiculous. They look good on you, though. Probably cause you have bigger hips than me, so they have something to hold them up." She shrugged and Ivy laughed.

"I've never worn pants this big before. It feels weird." She pulled, poked and prodded at them like they were a foreign object she'd never seen before. Warren hit her hand to make her stop and she laughed at him. He glared at her for a little while before cracking a tiny smile.

The bus landed and everyone piled off. Ivy buttoned the last button of the leather jacket, and looked down at herself one last time. She giggled again, then pulled her hair into a ponytail at the base of her neck.

"I should go see my aunt and tell her what happened. She'll want to know what's up."

"We'll come with you." Zach offered, and the six of them headed to the Principals Office.

Ivy explained the entire story and situation to her aunt. Twice.

"You're staying with me." Principal Powers demanded.

"Evelyn, its fine. I'd just be in the way at your house. You have your husband to worry about, it'd just be an imposition." Ivy tried to comfort her.

"Not at all, I'm sure Craig will understand." She waved Ivy's response away.

"Evelyn. Really. I'll be OK." She locked eyes with her aunt.

Principal Powers drew in a huge breath and nodded. "Of course you will. You're a strong person, and a strong super." She looked at Warren and Will who stood just behind her. "You two." They looked at each other, then at their principal. "She goes no where without one of you." Ivy rolled her eyes, and dropped her head into her good hand.

Will chuckled and nodded, while Warren just stood there.

"Maybe she should stay with one of us. If that guy is at her apartment, she probably isn't safe there alone, let alone there at all." Warren continued to look at her.

Evelyn nodded immediately. "I was actually thinking the same thing. Ivy, you really should stay with someone, or have someone stay with you. Although I'd prefer the former. It's probably safer if you aren't home."

Ivy reluctantly nodded, and together they decided she'd stay at Warren's, since Will's house was having some construction done on it. Will and Warren said they'd both accompany her to the apartment in the afternoon so she could grab some clothes and whatever else she needed for a little while, and they'd meet Zach, Layla and Magenta at Layla's when they were finished. After they finished discussing the days' plan, Principal Powers wrote all six of them passes back to their classes.

The remainder of the day was fairly uneventful until PE. Ivy's wrist finished healing during sixth period, so she decided it was a Save the Citizen day. All her friends told her she should sit it out, and let her wrist rest a little longer, but she didn't listen and volunteered first. Taylor shrank in her seat, completely unwilling to volunteer herself to fight against Ivy, especially after what happened the first time. Layla, surprisingly, offered to be Ivy's partner taking the Hero pairing, and they were teamed against Trent Davis and Lash.

Layla and Trent had been slight acquaintances since freshman year, but they never really spoke about anything in particular. Layla didn't even know what his powers were. The blue-haired boy strapped his protective gear on, and spoke to Lash about strategies, while Layla and Ivy did the same.

Boomer said, "Battle!" And Lash immediately attacked Layla. Luckily she wasn't worried about hurting him, so she had her vines and roots attack him and tie him in knots.

The ceiling lights began to flicker and Ivy looked up. _That's not me_. She looked at Trent, whose hands started to spark and ignite with blue electric waves. _Ah. I understand._ He shot a bolt at her, but she somersaulted out of the way and ran for him. Once in front of him she jumped and kicked him two-footed in the stomach forcing him to fall to the ground. He shot another bolt at her, but she ducked out of the way, and the bolt hit one of Layla's vines, cause it to retract and fry. He jumped back up to his feet only to get a roundhouse kick to his face that forced him back down.

"No light," Trent raised his hand to shoot more electricity at her and she folded the light in on itself, leaving just enough to see clearly, "no electricity." She kicked his hand down, and ran towards the citizen. Layla barely finished locking Lash in knots of greenery, when Ivy screamed her name. Layla whipped around to see Ivy staring at her. "Wrap a vine around the citizen, and get ready to pull!"

"Wait, what?" Layla was confused but did as Ivy said. She wrapped a thick vine around the citizen's waist, and waited. Ivy took off running for the citizen, and she jumped up and caught herself by holding onto the rope holding the citizen above the mulcher. She wrapped her legs and one arm around the rope, and started to try to undo the knot that held the citizen attached to the chain. She glanced at the clock. Fifteen seconds. _Not enough time._ She gave up, and turned her arms mid-change so they were over three times as strong. She put both her hands on the thick rope and pulled, shredding the rope in two.

Layla caught on, and started pulling as Ivy fought to break the citizen down. When the it broke, the citizen flew to safety, and Boomer declared the Heroes victory. Ivy jumped from the rope to the floor just beyond the mulcher. She and Layla shared a quick victory smile before Layla retracted her vines from Lash, and Ivy went to a hurting Trent. She grabbed his clothed elbow and helped him up.

"I'm sorry, are you OK?" She looked worried she had really hurt him.

Trent smiled at her and rubbed his stomach. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sore." He laughed. "Ivy, right?" She nodded. "That's awesome that you used physical combat. I've hardly ever seen someone do that during the game, unless they're like, super-ninja or something."

Ivy laughed and shrugged. "I do what I can. You're an electro?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I can't actually make it, though. Only use it from nearby sources."

"I had a friend like that once. He couldn't actually make fire, but if it was there, he could manipulate it and make it bigger and stuff." Trent nodded his agreement.

"I see you control light." He glanced up at the dim lights.

"Oh god, whoops." The light unfolded and the gym brightened. "I fold light in on itself so it doesn't shine outward."

"That's so random. Awesome, but so random." They laughed and shared a good game wave.

Ivy returned to her friends, as they watched Speed and Taylor lecture Lash about how he managed to lose, and then walk away from him.

"Poor guy." Layla felt sad for him.

"Maybe we should invite him to dinner?" Magenta asked her friends.

Zach shrugged. "He hasn't picked on me since freshman year, so I don't mind."

Ivy nodded. "We can at least extend the invitation." She turned to Will and Warren. "Do you guys mind? I know you don't really like him."

Will and Warren exchanged angry looks, but they knew that even if they said they didn't want to, Layla would anyway. They shrugged, and Layla and Ivy walked over to an angry Lash.

"Hey." Ivy waved.

"What do you want?" Lash stared at her.

Layla looked at Ivy worried, then turned her attention back to Lash. "We're all going to dinner tonight, and we wanted to invite you along."

"And why would I go with you?" His voice grew angrier.

Ivy looked towards where Taylor and Speed were walking away. "You're friends don't seem to care much."

Lash looked at the floor sadly. The sadness quickly turned to anger. "Since they started sleeping together, they don't really care about anything else." He looked up, eyes wide and shocked. "I should not have said that."

"Secret's safe." Layla promised him. "The offer still stands. We're going to the Indian place on Fitz Street at seven if you want to join us. We'll save a seat for you."

"Don't expect me to show up." He snarled at her.

Ivy shrugged. "Well, even so." The two girls walked back to their friends, and they all went to get changed.

---

Reviews are always lovely.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I still don't own Sky High.

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Will, Warren and Ivy got to Ivy's building right as she remembered she didn't have her keys. She knew the landlord wasn't in until later, so the three of them stood dumbfounded for a few minutes. Ivy looked up at her window and remembered she never locked it.

"We could go up the fire escape." She said to the two boys, still looking up.

"And how do you expect me to get up there? I don't fly, like Stronghold here." Warren looked up.

The fire escapes last outside balcony was on the second floor, with a drop down ladder that was kept up the majority of the time. Will started to take off, but Ivy grabbed his pant leg preventing him from going any farther.

"My territory." She told him, and he saw something dangerous in her eyes, and he lowered himself back to the ground.

Will and Warren looked at each other nervously, unsure of how she'd get up to the ladder herself. She ran at the building, jumped about halfway up, kicked off the side of it, and grabbed onto the lowest bar of the railing. She swung back and forth once to build momentum, before flipping up backwards over the top railing. She lowered the ladder, and watched the boys climb up. They both stared at her once they reached her.

"I spent a lot of time at the playground when I was younger." She shrugged.

"Which playground was that?" Will was still in shock. He knew she had super-cat reflexes but he had never really seen her use them before Save the Citizen that day.

"Xavier called it the Danger Room. I called it the playground." She smiled and continued up until she reached her own balcony. The window was still unlocked, and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad. They climbed into the apartment and it was just the way she'd left it the night before.

"It doesn't look like he's been in here." Will looked around.

"But that doesn't mean he wasn't." Ivy went to her bedroom and began packing a few changes of clothes and some shoes. She wasn't sure how long she'd stay at Warren's, so she grabbed as much as she felt was necessary. She took her toiletries, and her cell phone charger, and lastly shoved the entire shoe box into the bag. Back in the living room the boys waited, and she shoved her purse and wallet into her duffel bag and picked up her keys. "What about my car?" Warren grabbed her school bag, since she had no hands left.

"Well it'd be suspicious if you took it, and probably easier to find you." Will pointed out.

"It'll be suspicious if I leave it here, too, while I leave for an indefinite amount of time with no explanation. And if Blake wanted to find me, he wouldn't need to look for my car."

"She has a point." Warren looked at Will. "And I've gotten accustomed to getting picked up from work."

Ivy snorted and the three of them left the apartment. She jotted down a note telling her landlord that she had to go away for a little bit, but he'd get her payment in two weeks when it due. They loaded her bag into the back of the car, and loaded themselves in, too. As soon as she turned on the car, Britney Spears blared out of the radio.

Warren reached out to change it. Ivy hit his hand back. "Not today, Big Boy." A playfully evil smile crossed her face.

He stared at her in disbelief. "You're joking. Right?"

_"A guy like you... Should wear a warnin'... It's dangerous... I'm fallin'..."_

"Warren. Make it stop, Warren!" Will begged from the backseat, and Ivy raised the volume.

_"Do you feel me now? With the taste of your lips, I'm on a ride! You're toxic, I'm slippin' under..."_

"Fuck." Warren hunched over, and did his version of pouting.

_"And I love what you do, don't you know that you're toxic?"_

The pulled up to Layla's house, and before Ivy had even turned off the car, the boys jumped out and ran into the house. They opened the door and Layla, Zach and Magenta all looked at them confused. Ivy followed them in a moment later laughing hysterically.

"Did we miss something?" Layla raised her eyebrow.

"She was playing Britney Spears." Will shuddered and Warren groaned. Loudly.

Ivy laughed harder, and through her laughs, she managed to get out a broken: "I've never seen Warren move so fast in my life!" Regarding his exit of the car. Layla and Magenta laughed at that.

"'Ey man, Britney's awesome, yo!" Zach started singing. "Once more! You OPEN the DOOR! And you're here! In my blah blah blah blah Heart will go ON!" Zach sang off key and horribly, and everyone laughed at him.

"Zach. That's Celine Dion." Magenta was on the floor next to Ivy laughing almost at the point of tears.

"Oh, shoot, which one's Britney, then?" Everyone laughed harder. Layla leaned against the wall clutching her side, while Will and, surprisingly, Warren were close to shaking the entire house with their laughter alone. "Oh yeah, I remember! Hit me baby one more time!" He started singing again attempting the running man instantaneously, but he still didn't know all the words, so it was not only off key, but mainly "blahblah meh, uhh huuuuh".

Ivy finally stood and started singing the actual words.

_"I must confess, that my loneliness, is killing me now!"_ Layla and Magenta both joined her and the boys cringed in pain. When they finished the song everyone started laughing again. Magenta ran out to Ivy's car and grabbed the "B.S. MIX" from the player and forced Layla to play it. The boys retreated to the kitchen where the music wasn't as loud. Ivy sat in the living room and injected half a dose of serum so it only lasted a day before changing into some of her own clothes. She met everyone in the kitchen minutes after.

"This song is so inappropriate. Like, what? Why is she talking about his... um... manliness?" Magenta snorted and the other two girls snickered.

Zach looked at her. "Why are _you_ talking about his manliness?"

Ivy and Layla laughed outright as she turned pink. Ivy looked at the clock. "Warren, aren't you gonna be late to work?"

"Huh? No, I called this morning and got the week off so I can make sure you don't get killed."

Ivy smiled. "My own personal body guard. How nifty." She pinched his cheeks and he swatted her hands away.

The six Supers sat in Layla's kitchen for another hour and a half until they decided to make their way to dinner.

"I wonder if Lash will show up." Magenta was sitting in the backseat of Ivy's Jeep next to Zach.

"He better not." Warren growled at the thought of Lash being at dinner with them.

"Warren. Could you at least pretend to be nice?" Ivy shot him a quick glance as they pulled away from the curb. He grunted in response.

They met Layla and Will at the restaurant, and were immediately showed to their table. _Stripes? Black jeans. Shaggy hair--_

"I thought you guys were saving me a seat, not the other way around?" Lash looked up from the menu.

Layla smiled almost evilly. "I thought you weren't coming."

"Tony and Taylor decided they wanted some -- uh -- alone time." He shuddered.

Warren looked at him, and Ivy noticed his gaze darken. "Alone time?" He growled at Lash.

Lash's face paled, and he started to get up from his seat to back away from Warren.

Ivy went over to him and put her hand on his shoulder, and gently pushed him back down in his seat. She turned to Warren, who was the only one still standing.

"Yes. They're together now. Or something." She watched Warren as he continued to stare at Lash. It was then that Ivy realized that he still cared about Taylor, and she felt her own face fall.

"Sit down, Warren. People are staring." Layla whispered in his direction.

Warren took a seat at the opposite end of the table as Lash, and Ivy asked Magenta and Zach to slide down a seat so she could sit by Lash. Warren broke his stare and looked at Ivy who was solemnly reading her menu. He saw sadness on her face, but didn't understand why. Midway through the meal, Ivy excused herself to use the restroom. Layla looked at Magenta, who then excused herself and followed Ivy to the Ladies' Room.

"You alright, Ivy?" Magenta leaned against the wall as Ivy splashed water on her face.

She looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She didn't take her eyes of her reflection.

"You've just been really quiet all dinner."

"Oh. No, I'm fine." She patted her face dry, and reapplied some light mascara.

Magenta continued to watch her. Ivy suddenly dropped her hands from adjusting her hair and looked at her friend.

"He still cares about her." She looked so sad.

"Who now?" The purple girl was utterly confused by Ivy's statement, and furrowed her brow.

"Warren. He still cares about Taylor." She looked back at her reflection.

"Oh, Ivy." Magenta moved to give her a quick hug. Ivy didn't hug back, just continued to stare. "I'm sure he's just surprised to know she's seeing someone. It took them all of Freshman year to get together, then they were together all Sophomore year, and part of Junior, too. She wasn't with anyone before him, and hasn't been with anyone since him. He's probably just-- Just--" She paused, unsure of what to say.

"Does he love her?" She looked back at Magenta.

"What? Oh, God no!" Magenta tried not to gag at the thought of Warren in love with the bimbo. "You like him, huh?"

"You just noticed?" She smiled sadly.

"No. Just thought now was an appropriate time to ask." She grinned widely at Ivy. "Come on. They'll get suspicious if we stay here too long." Magenta offered Ivy her hand. Ivy smiled and graciously took it. The girls walked back to the table hand in hand. Lash grinned when he saw it.

"What took you guys so long?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"'Ey, man!" Zach threw him a look. Lash just laughed.

Ivy and Magenta sat down in their seats, and picked their forks back up. She didn't seem to notice Warren staring at her questioningly.

"What's your real name, Lash?" The group was finishing desert and Lash nearly choked.

"Eh?" He coughed out.

Ivy turned to face him. "Your real name. Lash is a nickname." She took another bite of her desert.

He blushed a little and looked down at the table. "Jordan." He mumbled.

Ivy, Magenta and Layla all smiled.

"I wish my dad named me somethin' cool." Zach looked at Will. "Zachary is so boring, man."

Will shrugged. "Better than William. I always wanted a cool name, like Hawthorne or something."

Lash laughed. "My cousins name is Hawthorne. He's a total ass." Will laughed, too.

"I like my name. Nothing else would suit me." Layla smiled contently.

Magenta nodded. "Yeah, me, too. Although, I really like the name Christina. Chris for short. Guys names on girls are so hot."

Ivy smiled, remembering how her aunt would always call her mom Chris, and not Christine.

"What about you, Ivy?" Layla looked at her friend.

"I'd never change my name. I don't think it suits me, but it was my mom's middle name, and that's a good enough reason for me to keep it." She smiled and took another bite.

"Didn't Josie say your middle name is Discord or somethin' crazy like that?" Zach leaned over and dug into Ivy's desert with his fork. She proceeded to poke his hand with her own fork before responding.

"It's a nickname. I don't have a middle name, and my, uh, feline side, tends to be a big fan of war and mayhem. Boomer gave me the name when I was just a kid. He'll never admit the soft spot he used to have for me, though. You know how he is." She poked Zach harder when she saw his fork coming her direction again.

Lash just sat and listened to the entire conversation. When he noticed Warren hadn't said a thing the entire meal, he made up his mind that it was time to stir up some drama.

"Peace." Warren looked at Lash angrily. "Why didn't you take your dads' name?" Everyone fell silent, and the table started to get hot. Burning hot.

Warren stood up. "What'd you say?" He clenched his fists until his knuckles were white.

"You heard me." Lash grinned at Warren's response.

"Warren, he just wants to get a rise out of you." Will tried to calm Warren down before he set something on fire.

"Sit down, man. It ain't worth it." Zach tried to pull Warren down, but he grabbed his arm away.

"I'll be outside." Warren left the table, and Magenta looked at Ivy. Ivy looked back at her and sighed angrily.

"Warren. Warren, stop!" Ivy ran after him as he stormed down the street. "You're acting like a child!" She grabbed his elbow.

"Don't touch me." He ripped his elbow from her grasp and continued to walk away.

"Would you stop and talk to me?" She dropped her hand to her side before flailing her arms in frustration.

"Why? Why should I? What difference will it make?" He whipped around to glare at her, and she saw the fire he was trying desperately to hold in reflect in his eyes.

She took a step back, not out of fear, but out of caution. "Maybe if you stopped brooding and talked to someone--"

"No." He cut her off with a single word. "I don't need to _talk_ to anyone. I don't _need... Anyone_."

Her face fell from concerned to angry and sad. Her hair fought to turn black; the roots began to change. "If that's how you feel." She stared at him in disbelief. "I'll see if I can stay at Will's." She turned her back to him and heard him scream in anger behind her.

She sat back down at the table and turned to Will. "Mind if I stay at your place? I know there's some construction going on, but..." Her voice trailed off.

Lash looked at her confused. "You can stay with me." He blurted before he could stop himself. Everyone at the table looked at him.

"Huh?" Ivy's eyes widened in shock.

"If he has construction or whatever going on, my place is open. My dad's cool, he won't mind. And we just remodeled the guest bedroom. It's pretty cool. It has a skylight." He shrugged.

Ivy looked at Will. "My parents wouldn't mind if you needed to, but we don't really have the extra room." He turned to face Lash. "Can we trust you?" He was very stern and civil.

"Yeah." Lash shrugged. "She was nice to me, only fair to return the favor."

Layla and Magenta exchanged glances, then turned to Ivy. "Would you feel safe at his place?" Layla looked worried.

Ivy squinted her eye at Lash in thought. He looked back at her. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine. If he tries anything funny, I'm pretty sure I can take him."

"After that display in PE today, and at the apartment, I'm sure you could." Will laughed, and Magenta looked at him with a funny expression.

"What'd she do at the apartment?" Zach took another bite of Ivy's desert.

"She's just crazy. You have to see this girl in action. It's like, I don't even know. Just crazy."

After dinner was finished, Ivy and Lash dropped Zach at his house, since he was on the way to Lash's. They arrived at his small home, and he directed her to park across the street in front of an empty lot. She grabbed her duffel bag out of the trunk, and he eyed it.

"Moving in, are we?" He took it from her, so she didn't have to carry it herself. She smiled at his gesture, and grabbed her school bag.

"I can't stay at my place for a little while. It's a long story." She followed him up his front steps.

"Why? Cockroach infestation?" He glanced back at her and saw her laugh.

"Yeah, something like that." He opened the door, and moved aside so she could enter first. "Why cockroaches?" She laughed again at the idea of a cockroach infestation.

"First thing I could think of." He smiled.

Ivy looked around his small house. It was neat and orderly, not a single thing out of place, but still artsy and fun. There were tons of pictures of Lash when he was a baby and a young boy. The room was painted with an array of light colors to brighten to atmosphere, and there was a canvas in the corner of the main living room with a large tray of paints on the table beside it.

"An artist in the family?" She walked over to the canvas, and saw a beautiful watercolor of what looked like Africa, with a lion attacking an antelope-looking thing. "Wow. That's really good."

Lash came and stood beside her. "Thanks. It's not done yet. I can't decide if I want to add some trees, and make it sunset in the background, or just keep it blue."

"You did that?" She pointed at the painting and turned her head to face him in astonishment.

Lash nodded. "I'm taking an art elective at school, and need a realism portrait for part of the final portfolio. Then I need a surreal portrait, and I need a fantasy somethin'."

"Wow. Never would have pegged you for a painter." She left the painting and explored the rest of the room.

After a few minutes, he led her down a short hallway, past the kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. He opened the door to the guest room which was directly across from his own room, and she was shocked to see a white room with abstract paintings hung on the walls. Multicolored curtains, and a big, fluffy white comforter on the queen-sized bed. He dropped her duffel on the bed next to where she had put her school bag, and he went to turn on a lamp.

"Leave it off. I see better in the dark." She faced him, and saw a confused look. She smiled and opened the curtains to see an old, almost Gothic style building down the road. "What's that?" She pointed at the building.

Lash smiled at her. "I'll show you." He took her hand and led her out the back door.

They climbed over a picket fence, and then walked a few minutes until they got to the gate of the building. Lash hopped over the three foot gate, and held out his hand to help her. She smiled at him mischievously, and jumped over the fence with a super-human attitude. He smiled at her display and led her around the side of the building to an unlocked door. He pulled the thick, creaking door open and followed Ivy inside.

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Please review me?? K, thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.

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The church was dark, and covered in cobwebs from years of not being used. The altar was small, and the entire place was very intimate. Ivy spotted a confessional, and assumed it was a catholic church. There were broken beams hanging down from the ceiling, and old melted candles at the ends of each pew. A few windows had been broken, and the shards still lay on the floor beneath them. Ivy walked up to the altar, and ran her hand across the edge of it, before brushing the dust off onto her jeans.

"No ones used this church in years, probably since before we were born. I come here and paint when I can't sleep." Lash shrugged. "I don't usually bring anyone here, so you'd better feel special."

Ivy laughed. "Yeah, Taylor and Tony would love to know you spend your nights in a church." She laughed harder at the thought, and saw Lash turn red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment, she wasn't sure.

"Come on. The bell tower has a great view of Maxville." He led Ivy up a tall, spiraled staircase until they reached the top.

"Oh my god." Ivy felt breathless, and was sure she sounded it. "It's... Beautiful." She walked to the edge, and put her hands on the railing. A cold wind brushed against them, and she smiled at the peacefulness of the entire place.

Lash came up beside her, and leaned forward against the railing. He looked over at her. She turned to look at him, and smiled a wide, grateful smile. Her eyes glowed, and Lash felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Your pupils." His lips cracked into a soft smile. "They're split." He saw something withdraw from her posture, and she became more rigid than she had been a moment before.

"I, um--" She paused.

"You don't have to tell me. You don't even know me."

She watched him turn his attention back to the city beneath them. "Thank you, Jordan."

"For what?" He didn't turn to face her, but she kept her attention on him.

"For bringing me here. Showing me this." She gestured to the bell that hung silently behind the two Supers.

He watched her as she walked over to the huge bell. The wind swept her hair up, and she rested her hand against the bell.

"Can I paint you for part of my final?" He turned his back to the city, and rested against the rail.

She turned around to face him, and wrinkled her nose. "Why would you want to paint _me_? I'm not that interesting." She shook her head.

"Yeah. You are. For my surreal portrait. You. Up here. On the railing." He moved towards her a step.

"How?" She walked to the rail and jumped onto it with such grace and ease, that she _couldn't_ have been human even if she tried. "Like this?" She stood, hands in her pockets, hair whipping against her face.

He shook his head. "No. Something that not everyone can do."

She crouched down, letting her left leg fall off the outside edge, balancing on only the toes of her right foot, right arm resting on her knee, left hanging at her side. "Better?"

"Almost. But still. It's too... Plain. You're a frickin' cat, for Christ's sake. Can't you do something that other people can't?" He laughed as she smiled and stood back up.

She looked over the edge and gave a small smile. She lifted her left leg. She continued to lift it until her toe was at shoulder-height, then she bent at the knee, bringing her the toes of her boot to touch her head, as she arched her back, and extended her neck as far as she could, letting her arms flow behind her.

His eyes widened in excitement at his new model. "Perfect."

She returned to a normal standing position and laughed as she jumped down. She went back over to him and pushed him playfully, still laughing. He laughed back and grabbed her arm before she could push him again, as if they'd known each other for years.

"We should get back." He pushed her towards the staircase gently.

They walked in the back door and Lash saw his dads coat hanging off one of the kitchen chairs. The walked down the hallway, and Lash stopped at the first bedroom telling Ivy he'd meet her in the guest room in a minute. He disappeared into the bedroom, and Ivy escorted herself to the guest room. She rummaged through her duffel, and pulled out short black gym shorts, and a gray tank. She changed quickly, and pulled on a gray zip-up over the tank. She went to the small dresser, and again attempted a French braid. _Almost!_ Some strands were still short so they fell out giving the braid a wispy look, which Ivy happened to find quite attractive. She sat on the bed, and pulled out her English homework. She hadn't done any work, and was determined to complete at least a few assignments.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts about Why Heroes Are Needed. Lash came in and plopped down on the bed before Ivy could say a thing. She looked up and saw he had changed into a big navy blue t-shirt and boxers.

"Are we doing homework?" He sounded excited.

She laughed at his expression and nodded. He jumped off the bed and ran back in less than a minute later with his own book bag. He dumped his texts out and opened his notebook. She smiled at his enthusiasm.

"What would Taylor say?" She shook her head in mock disgust.

Lash rolled his eyes and went back to concentrating on his work.

Ivy put her pen down and just looked at him. "Why do you hang out with them if they're so mean to you?"

He looked at her in shock. "They aren't. They just have different ideas of what's fun. The whole villain-bully thing was fun the first few years, but I kinda outgrew it." He shrugged and turned his attention back to his homework, but she knew there was something else there. "Stop looking at me like that." He didn't raise his head to look at her.

"OK." And she went back to her own work.

Lash stopped writing, but still didn't look up. "I went to New York this summer, stayed with my cousins. One of their friends..." He sighed, and Ivy looked up at him. "Her name was Hisa. It means "long-lasting" in Japanese. She was the most amazing--" He stopped, and she heard him swallow hard, and fight down his emotion. "She was a goddess, if I've ever known one." He still didn't look up.

Ivy reached over, and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He squeezed back.

"She was a nymph. She made it her duty to protect the waters, and forests, and creatures. Not in the hippie way Layla does, but in the way that she was able to destroy any force that threatened their survival. I can't explain it. If something polluted a stream, she could touch the water, and the pollution was just... Gone. Once her parrot ate some really poisonous berry or something, and she touched the parrots stomach, and he was fine again. I don't know what her actual power was, but that's what she used it for. She used it to protect the things she loved." He lifted his head and looked at Ivy, his fear and embarrassment plain on his face. She said nothing, but waited for him to continue his story. "She couldn't understand why I was friends with people like Tony and Taylor. And the more she pointed out the wrongness of them, the more I started to see that isn't who I want to be. And I just kinda got over it. I want to do something good. I want to be something good. I'm not a bad person." He sounded as if he wasn't convinced, but he was trying.

Ivy moved closer to him and wrapped him in a tight hug. When she released him from the embrace, she stared him in the eyes, and promised him, "You aren't a bad person, Jordan. I didn't know you before Hisa, but whatever she triggered in you... If you really were a bad person, you wouldn't be saying all this right now." He smiled at her faith in him. She moved back to her seat on the pillows, and picked her notebook and pen back up. They both resumed their work.

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I'm sure y'all know the drill by now. I ask for reviews, you kind-reader oblige me with some. =)


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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The morning was crisp, with hardly any clouds in the sky. Ivy pulled her Guess jacket closer, and cursed herself for not wearing long sleeves. She checked the time on her phone. _The serum wears off at five. Don't forget._ She and Lash waited at the bus stop arguing about stripes versus polka dots when the bus came. They hopped on and spotted Zach, Magenta, and Warren. Lash stopped cold when he saw Warren staring at him. Ivy turned to look behind her when Lash stopped talking.

"Jordan, it's fine. Come on." She held out her hand, and he smiled at her weakly. He took it and followed her to the seats Zach saved. She surrendered the window seat to a scared Lash, and said hello to her friends.

"He didn't hurt you, right? You're okay? You're alright?" Zach grabbed her arms, pushed her sleeves up, and seemed to be looking for bruises or injuries. Ivy and Lash both laughed and she shook her head.

"I thought you said you were staying at Will's." Warren didn't look at her, but went back to staring out the window.

"Plans changed." Her words were clipped and her voice had a harshness none of her friends had heard before. Ivy ignored his grunt, and returned to conversation with the others. A few stops later Will and Layla boarded.

"Hey, you survived!" Will high-fived Ivy, and did a cool-guy-hand-shake with Lash.

"Thanks. Good to know you guys trust me." He was playfully sarcastic and trying very hard not to laugh.

"We have good reason not to trust you. But we're working on it." Layla smiled and Magenta nodded in agreement.

The bus took off into the air, and the conversation grew louder due to the excited screams of their fellow riders.

"Everyone's going to Homecoming, right?" Magenta looked worried. "I don't want to be the only one."

"Uh, hello? Boyfriend?" Zach gestured to himself flamboyantly, causing Lash the snort at the ridiculous movement.

"Aside from you. You don't count." Magenta turned back to the others.

"Of course we are. It's our Senior Homecoming!" Layla was obviously anxious, and even Will seemed excited. "You guys are coming, right?" She turned her attention to Ivy and Lash, who both looked at each then turned back to Layla.

"I guess, so." Ivy looked so bewildered that it was Will's turn to snort with laughter. "If I'm going, you're coming, too." She nudged Lash, and he groaned but eventually agreed.

"What about you, Warren?" Layla stood as the bus landed and everyone fought to get off as fast as possible.

"Doubt it." He stalked off without saying goodbye.

Magenta moved to walk with Ivy ahead of others after she growled at him and began walking towards the school. "You okay?"

"He's so frustrating. I can't believe how stubborn he is." Ivy shook her head.

"What happened? What'd he say to you last night?" Magenta looked at Ivy as Layla moved up to walk with them as the boys starting talking about how ridiculous the dance dress code was.

"What'd who say about what?" She poked her head in between the two girls.

"I told him that he needed to talk to someone about his dad just to talk about it, and he yelled at me about how he didn't need to talk to anyone, and how he doesn't need anyone at all." She shook her head again. "I can't believe I actually cared about that asshole." She clenched her fist.

"Harsh." Layla turned to Magenta. "Warren?"

"Who else?" They both turned back to Ivy who sighed again.

"But Lash's place was okay?" Layla changed the topic before Ivy got too upset.

She started laughing. "He's not too bad, actually. We had a good time."

Magenta smiled and elbowed her gently. "_How_ good a time?"

"Oh, gross! Not Jordan, not ever!" Ivy pushed Magenta hard enough to make her stumble a bit. Layla and Magenta both laughed at her response.

"Mhm." Magenta replied smuggly.

"I'm so serious, though." Ivy turned her head to look back at the boys who had fallen far behind them. She saw Lash doing some weird impression of something, and laughed softly to herself.

Her friends continued to look at her, and when she turned her attention back to them, it was Layla's turn to respond with a smug, conspiring, "Mhm."

"Oh, whatever." She playfully stormed off, but the girls caught up with her in no time, laughing loudly.

During lunch the cafeteria seemed more crowded than usual, but tables cleared immediately when Taylor and Speed entered the room, with Lash trailing behind. He saw Ivy and the rest immediately, and wondered what Taylor would say if he went to hang out with them. The three passed by Ivy's table, and she glanced up at Lash. He gave a small smile, and she nodded that she understood there were something things he just wasn't ready to do. Sitting with them openly was one. Layla waved a little, and Lash hurried to catch up with the other two.

"What? Boyfriend too embarrassed to sit with you?" Warren glared at Ivy.

She turned her head sharply in his direction, but didn't dignify his question with a response.

"Are you staying at his place again?" Will took a sip of his soda.

"I guess so, yeah."

"Why?" Ivy looked at Warren, and a very obvious shadow of anger crossed her face.

"Because unlike you, he cares." She grabbed her bag and left the table.

Layla looked at Warren who just sat there. "Warren!"

"What?" He hissed at her.

She looked taken aback, but quickly recovered. "Stop being an ass, and go talk to her." Zach, Magenta and Will all looked at Layla, shocked that she would be so demanding and mean.

"Why?" He stared at her.

She didn't respond, but her face flushed an angry red, and she went after Ivy.

Outside the cafeteria she spotted Ivy talking with Trent.

"Are you going to Homecoming next week?" Trent took a few books out of his locker.

"I think so. Haven't decided just yet. You?" She leaned against the lockers, playing with the zipper on her side bag.

"Yeah. Save me a dance if you go?"

She laughed and nodded. "Definitely." Ivy saw Layla coming towards her. "I'll talk to you later."

"Later, Ivy." Trent closed his locker and left as Ivy walked over to where Layla had paused.

"I tried to get him to come talk to you, but you know how he is." Layla shrugged apologetically.

Ivy leaned against the row of lockers, and tilted her head upward to look at the ceiling. She rolled around the crown of her head to look at Layla at an odd angle. "I'm so tired of the how he is. He can't keep using his father as an excuse to be a jerk. It just isn't fair to everyone else." She tapped her foot slightly. "It's not fair to me." Layla leaned against the locker next to Ivy. Neither of them noticed Warren had come out of the cafeteria as Ivy had leaned against the locker.

"He just doesn't know how to be... Nice. It's hard for him."

"But he isn't even trying! He used to be so fun, we laughed, we joked, we danced. We'd stay up late making fun of you and Will and how gross you two are." She laughed a little, and Layla blushed. "I don't know what went wrong. I don't know when he stopped wanting to be my friend."

"Well, that's the thing. I think it's the opposite." Layla's blush faded, and she went back to being The Concerned Hippie-Child.

"You lost me." Ivy brought her head back to being straight on her shoulders.

"I think he started to want more than that, and that's why he suddenly pulled away. He tends to do that when he cares about people. Or at least that's what he did with Taylor. He'll never admit it, but everyone else saw it. He cared about her so much, and he got scared and ran. Well, more like stalked off." She shrugged hastily to get back on point. "Anyway, he really backed off, started giving her the cold shoulder, and she dumped him after misreading all of it."

Warren stood a few feet away listening to the entire conversation, wondering to himself how Layla could understand so much, but pretend to know absolutely nothing.

Ivy stomped her foot in frustration. "Great. He's one of those."

"Just give him a little time. I'm sure he'll get over whatever he's got going on, and he'll realize what he's losing."

Ivy looked at Layla, face unreadable. "He can't lose me if he never had me. And at this rate, he never will. I'll see you in PE." She gave Layla a tight squeeze on her shoulder before walking away.

Layla turned around to find herself inches away from Warrens' angry face. "Oh god." She backed away in terror of what he'd heard, and what he'd do.

"Stay out of my business, _Layla_." He breathed her name venomously, and stepped around her to go down the hall.

Layla slammed her back against the locked behind her. "Crap." She put her face in her hands for a minute, before running them over her hair, taking a deep breath, and going back to the table.

"What happened? How'd it go?" Magenta looked worried as Layla sat down unhappily.

She shook her head, and leaned it on Will's shoulder, closing her eyes. He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead, before looking at Magenta and Zach with a highly confused expression. Magenta shook her head and mouthed, "I'll tell you later." Will nodded a bit, and continued to stroke Layla's hair.

After school was out, Ivy went to talk to her aunt for a few minutes to give her a quick update, even though it had only been a day. Magenta and Layla gave Zach and Will the short and dirty about Warren and Ivy's current rivalry. The four of them sat under a tree waiting for Ivy, when Taylor, Speed and Lash came out of the building. Taylor sent a ice spike towards a small freshman and laughed hysterically with Speed when the boy ran towards to bus.

"I forgot my wallet in my locker. I'll catch you guys later." Lash turned to leave, when Speed stopped him.

"What's going on, dude?"

Lash turned back to face them. "Wuh?" He tried to look confused, and knew he failed.

"You've been so weird the entire year, man. What's different?"

"Yeah, Lash. Don't like us anymore?" Taylor draped her arm over Speed as if he was her property, and faked a pout.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, man. I just forgot my wallet." He shook his head.

The door behind Lash opened, and Ivy came out with Principal Powers at her side. Lash turned around to see Powers give Ivy a small hug before saying goodbye. Ivy passed by Taylor, Speed and Lash and smiled at them.

"What a bitch." Taylor's hand froze solid, and tried desperately not to attack Ivy in front of the Principal.

"I'll see you guys on Monday." Lash disappeared inside the building, and Taylor and Speed left to catch one of the buses home.

Ivy went over to her friends and sat with them. "My aunt is so not happy that I'm at Lash's instead of Warren's."

Layla frowned. "I can understand why, but still."

Ivy shrugged. "I kinda explained what's going on with Warren, and she seemed to warm up to me at Lash's a bit more. I'm assuming you've enlightened them?" She pointed at Zach and Will who were in the midst of an intense thumb-war. Magenta and Layla both nodded.

"Can I talk to you?" Ivy turned around, and the others all looked up to see Warren staring intently at Ivy. She looked back at Layla and Magenta and they both looked as surprised as she did. She stood up, leaving her bag behind and started to walk with him a little ways. They stopped towards the center of the lawn, and he turned to face her. His face was dark and solemn. "Everything Layla said to you this afternoon was true."

"You were spying on us?" Ivy looked angry.

"No." He scoffed angrily. "I'm not Zach. I came out of the cafeteria after Layla went to find you, and you guys were talking. I just stopped to listen."

"So you were just eavesdropping? That's much better, good job, Warren." Her posture changed from angry to indignant.

"I'm trying to apologize, you don't have to be a smartass about it." He started to get angry at her attitude.

"I don't want an apology. I don't want anything from you. Just like you said, right? You don't need anyone. Why bother apologizing." She started to walk away but he dropped his bag and grabbed her arm.

He snarled. "Stop walking away from me!"

Her hair flared red, and she tore her arm from his grip. "Let go of me!"

"Talk to me, Ivy. I'm trying, here. Doesn't that count for anything?" He flailed his arms dramatically.

"Yes. It does. But I'm tired of this. I'm tired of thinking that I'm getting closer to you, just to get thrown back and land on my ass!" She was yelling now, her hair fading back to white, but not the normal vibrant white. A different, more sad white that could have passed for cream.

"What do you want me to do? I'm doing the best I can!" He yelled back at her.

"No, Warren! You're not! You're not doing anything! You're standing around like a jackass, waiting for me to make the first move, which is fucking impossible with you, because you don't ever _let_ me!" A tear fell and splashed into a fire droplet. She breathed in and out slowly. "I'm done with this. I'm done fighting with you over something that obviously isn't happening. I really wish it had, but it's just too late. We've run around each other for over two months. Since the first day I told you about my serum... The night we went dancing... I'm through." She scoffed. "I'm dumping you, and we weren't even together. That's awesome." She shook her head sarcastically, and looked at him. She bit her lip, and another tear dropped, bursting into a tiny flame as it hit the grass.

"Ivy." He started to go towards her, and she backed away raising her hands in a surrendering fashion.

"No more Ivy's. No more anything." She dropped her hands. "You made your decision when you locked yourself away from the world. You did it because it was what was best for you, whatever in the hell that was. Now it's _my_ turn to make _my_ decision about what's best for me. And it just doesn't include you. It can't. Not anymore." She took a few steps backwards before turning her back on him and returning to their friends.

Warren stood staring at her. He didn't follow her, he didn't call after her, he didn't set anything on fire. He just stood and watched her go.

Magenta stood to meet Ivy just as Lash walked over.

"What was that about?" Lash pointed back over his shoulder to Warren. "Didn't sound too happy." He looked at Ivy and saw her eyes were a little red and puffy. She ignored Magenta and looked straight at Lash.

He didn't say anything, just pulled her into a deep hug. Magenta reached out and rubbed her back, as if she were a small child. Ivy slowly pulled back from the hug, resting her forehead on Lash's chest. She took a deep breath and pulled away completely.

"You okay?" Magenta didn't take her hand from Ivy's back.

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, uh..." She smirked a little. "Just did what had to be done." She forced a smile and picked up her bag. The remaining three that were sitting gathered their things and Will noticed Warren still standing where Ivy had left him, blankly staring at the grass.

"Ivy, I think I need to..." Will stopped mid-sentence.

"Go. I'd say he probably needs a friend, but I'd be lying. He doesn't need anyone." Will heard the bitterness and sarcasm in her voice, but ignored it and gave her a quick hug before going to his best friend.

"Hey." Warren looked up and Will saw a single tear trace a path down the side of Warren's face. Will picked up Warren's bag, and took his friend to the second of the two buses that were waiting for the remainder of the students. He shot a glance over at Layla who was boarding the first bus with the others. She smiled sadly before getting on the bus. Will followed Warren to the back of the bus, and just sat with him in silence the entire ride back. He walked Warren home, and made sure he was situated and safe.

"Call me if you need anything?" Will gave Warren a pat on the shoulder before leaving the house.

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Ohh, drama. Reviews are welcome, as always.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.

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Back at Lash's house, Ivy's phone beeped, and she looked to see the five o'clock alarm had gone off. She closed the door, and locked it so no one could come in. She sat on the fluffy comforter, pumped blood into her left forearm, and stuck the brand new needle into her vein. The syringe released the cool rush into her body, emptying the second half of the bottle, and she ceremoniously closed her eyes as the serum made its way throughout her body. Ivy opened her eyes just as a knock came through the door. She closed the box and put it back into the duffel before opening the door.

"You doing alright?" Lash stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with concerned eyes.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She lied, and he knew it.

"Come on. I'm going outside to draw a bit. You shouldn't be in here all alone." He smiled a little, and Ivy couldn't resist smiling back at him.

"Let me change real quick. I'll meet you in the backyard?" Lash nodded and left her in the room.

She closed the door again, and stripped her clothes off. She pulled a pair of black gym pants, and a white tank top with the same gray zip-up as the night before. She pulled on her black Puma's, and took her homework bag out to meet Lash. He sat on the patio, lightly sketching the small pond under his dad's prized Oak tree. Ivy sat next to him, and leaned over his shoulder to see the drawing. She smiled, and opened her bag. A chill passed through the wind, and she immediately looked up, remembering Blake's cold green eyes laughing from the darkness in his hood. Her eyes narrowed, and she automatically became more aware of everything around her. The wind chimes, the insects, the steady, almost silent breathing coming from her companion.

The two worked silently until long past dark. The outdoor lights had come on, but it was still too dark for Lash to continue his sketch, so he changed to normal homework. His father eventually came home and Lash introduced them. Ivy and Walker chatted for a bit, exchanging tidbits of information about their powers. Walker did as his name suggested: he walked. Over any surface of the earth, to any surface of the earth. He would walk across the pond in the backyard, straight onto the Great Wall. Ivy in return explained about her ability to control light, demonstrating just enough that Walker understood. He offered to make Ivy and Lash dinner, but both politely declined. After a few more minutes of chat, he retired to the house.

"Why didn't you tell him about the cat part?" Lash put down his homework and looked at the girl next to him.

She shrugged. "Didn't feel it was the right time." When the truth was that if Blake was really there, he'd be listening. She didn't want to say anything that might help him. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk." She gave a half smile and hopped over the fence before Lash could respond.

Ivy made her way to the old church and sat in one of the pews. She looked around at the stained glass windows.

She gently walked up the aisle and sat in the third from the front pew on the left side. She shifted awkwardly, remembering how long it had been since she had been in a church. She looked up at the dark ceiling, then back at the dusty altar, and shifted again, kneeling down and resting her forearms on the pew in front of her.

"So this is the part where I pray, right?" She looked at the cross on the altar. "Well, I'm not very good at that. I was never very good at it. But here goes, anyway." She stopped and just looked at the cross for a moment. "Forgive me, God. For I have sinned. It has been over three years since my last confession, and since then I have sinned by thought, word, and deed." She tilted her head back to look towards the heavens, where her God supposedly listened. She didn't hear Lash enter the back of the church. Her entire posture and attitude changed in the blink of an eye. "Why did you do this to me?" Her grave expression turning to tearful anger. "Why did you give me powers that hurt others? Why did you take my mother from me? Why are you letting Blake come after me?" She was silently crying now, face unchanged, but the salty tears still found their way down her cheeks to the corners of her mouth, and some to drip off her chin. "Why can't I control any of this? Please." She begged. "Tell me what I did to deserve this." Her face broke, and her posture curled under. She crossed her arms against the pew in front of her, and buried her face in them. She made no noise, but her shoulders shook and shuddered.

Lash came to stand beside her, and he gently put his left hand under her right arm, and started to pull up, motioning for her to stand. She looked up in shock to see him standing above her. He put his other hand under her other arm and pulled her to her feet. He could feel her legs were weak and that his arms were the only things supporting her. She collapsed into them and let more silent tears fall onto his striped shirt. He wrapped his one arm around her waist holding her up, while he put the other hand on the back of her head, stroking his thumb back and forth comfortingly.

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Reviews are nice. =) School is kiiiiiiiiiiiiiilling me so I hope all you guys are doing ok!! 3


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Lash helped Ivy walk back to the house and back to her room, afraid she'd fall without the extra support. He laid her down on the bed, and helped her take off her shoes. She lay on her side, facing away from the door. Ivy said nothing, only closed her eyes and pulled her sweatshirt closer. Lash stood for a moment watching her before closing the door, and crossing the hall to his own room.

He shut his door and pulled his shirt off. He kicked off his shoes, and fell back onto his big bed with his hands clasped behind his head. He thought about all she said. All she asked, all she wondered, how she cried, what she meant. Who was Blake? How did her powers hurt people? He wanted to know everything, whether it was for curiosity's sake, or because he cared, he wasn't sure. Lash had been considering the idea that he cared about her for the entire day. He had settled on "no" until he saw her crying in his church and was overwhelmed with the urge to kill Blake, whoever he was. Soon enough, Lash's thoughts consumed him to the point of sleep, and when we woke the next morning, his alarm was blaring.

He stretched, the super-human way, then looked back at his clock. "It's Saturday." He threw the alarm on his bed angrily, and knocked at Ivy's door.

"Come in." Ivy sat on her bed with her History book open, and a highlighter in her hand. "Hey." She looked up at Lash, who was standing in the now open doorway. She motioned for him to come in, and he did as he was told.

He sat down on the chair by her dresser and watched her watch him.

_Damn._ Ivy unconsciously watched his body flex and open as he breathed. She hadn't ever wondered if Lash took care of his body, but seeing him in boxers alone, her new question had an immediate answer. He wasn't quite as big as Warren, but he had more than enough muscle on his thin body. She bit her lip gently, and quickly turned her attention back to his face, relieved to see he hadn't noticed her.

"Did you sleep?" She put her highlighter down, and he mixed a shrug and a nod together. "Why so sad?" She frowned at his lack of response.

"I'm not." He picked up some perfume on the dresser beside him, smelled it, made a face, and put it down. Ivy laughed lightly at his expression. "You want some breakfast?" He stood and began to walk towards the door.

"No, I'm OK Thank you." She picked her highlighter back up.

"Hey, would you mind if we started working on the portrait tonight? I want to get going before it starts raining."

"Yeah, of course. I meant to ask when you wanted to do that, but with all the drama yesterday it slipped my mind." She smiled at him, but he simply left the room.

A few hours later and all her homework done, Ivy made her way to the living room to see Lash and Walker sitting together watching the news.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ivy's question was waved away as Lash pulled her onto the couch next to him and pointed at the screen.

The news reporter continued. "An animal which has now been identified as an extremely large wolf, has either demolished or burned down all the churches in Maxville, with the exception of the old Holy Name Cathedral on Forrester Drive. Citizens who witnessed the events have all exclaimed that the wolf cannot be of natural origin, due to it's increased size; over two times larger than the average wolf. Citizens speculate that the creature must be of the Super community, which has begun to cause an uproar among the local Supers." Walked turned the volume down.

"The minute they see something they can't explain, they blame us! How typical! Maybe they're all just stupid!" He got up from the couch and returned to the kitchen with his coffee mug.

"Why would the thing destroy all the churches but the Cathedral?" Lash took a sip from his own coffee mug.

Ivy shrugged, disconnected from the world, lost in her worries that Blake had done it. "I've gotta make a phone call. I'll be right back." She stood nonchalantly, and returned her room, Lash never took his eyes from the newscast.

Ivy closed her door abruptly, and dialed Layla as fast as she could.

"Hello?"

"Turn on the news report. Now."

"Ivy?"

"Yes. Now." She heard Layla's TV flick on, and heard the same voice that gave the report she saw. The reporter did a brief recap, and Layla gasped when she heard the assumptions made about it being a Super.

"It couldn't be. We would never do that." Ivy could tell Layla was shaking her head.

"It was Blake. I know it. I felt him last night, and I went to the Holy Name Cathedral since it's right down the street from Lash. I know it was Blake. His Absolute is a wolf, Layla. And Absolutes can be up to two, sometimes three times larger than normal animals." Ivy's voice trembled.

"Oh god, what do we do, Ivy?" Layla began to panic and forced herself to take deep, calming breaths.

"I don't know. He knows I'm here, and if not here specifically, he knows I'm in the area." Ivy spoke quietly so Lash couldn't overhear.

"I'll call Will. He should know what's going on."

"OK, call Magenta and Zach, too. I need to explain things to Jordan. He deserves to know what's going on just in case Blake starts to attack people, like him for example."

Layla agreed and they hung up quickly. Ivy began to get a cold sweat, the fear she felt swelling and growing by the second. She took off her gray sweatshirt, and pulled hair back away from her face. She calmed herself a bit, then went back to the living room to see Lash wasn't there. Instant panic took over.

"Jordan?" She yelled. She searched the kitchen and dining rooms. She called his name in the backyard, and finally headed down the hallway. "Jor--"

She was cut off by Lash opening the door to his bedroom. "Hey, hey! Calm down, what's the matter with you?" He looked worried and she engulfed him in a hug. "What's going on?" He pulled away from her and stared her in the eyes.

"There's some things you should know." Her face calmed, and the flush of her cheeks slowly began to fade.

He opened the door to his room, and she sat on his bed for the first time. She gave him a quick background about what she was, and who Blake was. She explained the incident at her apartment two months before, and the one three nights ago. She explained why she couldn't stay at her apartment, and that the wolf the reporter was talking about, she suspected, was Blake. Lash sat and listened intently the entire time.

She finished her speech and sat quietly, waiting for him to say something.

"And?" He raised his eyebrow.

"What do you mean 'and'?" She frowned at the word.

"What do you want me to do about it? He isn't doing anything directly against you to hurt you. Just sending out a warning or something." He stretched his arms behind him. "Until he actually tries to make physical contact, you need to relax."

"Are you joking?" She stared at him in disbelief. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"Because, Ivy. He hasn't come for _you_ directly for a few nights. He probably needed time to heal after you kicked his ass, and now he's more cautious. He's more aware that you're strong and not going down without a fight. The best thing you can do is go on normally. If you start freakin' out and shit, you're just going to make yourself go crazy, and he'll catch you off guard."

Ivy looked at him for a moment more. "Are you sure?"

"No, but it's better than running around like a chicken without a head." He shrugged.

Ivy nodded and picked up his phone to call Layla. She agreed to pass the word on, and told Ivy to give Lash a hug for her. They said their goodbyes and good lucks and hung up the phone. Ivy hadn't noticed how late it had gotten, and she nearly fell off the bed when she saw it was past seven. She ran into her room to inject a full dose of the serum. While she was staying with someone she could hurt, she figured it'd be safest for everyone to be dosed the entire time. She left a quick message with Gennifer at Karmichaels' office saying that she'd be at a new address. Gennifer assured Ivy that she'd be receiving the new shipment within the week.

She returned to Lash's room and saw him gathering his pencils and a stack of blank papers. _I completely forgot. The portrait. Right._

"What did you want me to wear?"

He looked up from his desk and saw her standing just inside the room, hands on her hips.

"Huh?" He furrowed his brow and shook his head in confusion.

"Wear." She laughed a little. "For the portrait."

"Right now what you're wearing is fine. When I get to the end, I'll change it, but at the moment I'm just doing a figure sketch to get acquainted with you and the scene." He finished getting his things together, and threw a sweatshirt over his head. Ivy hadn't noticed that he'd been dressed since before she told him all about Blake. Her mood saddened at the idea that she wouldn't be able to stare anymore.

Ivy and Lash trekked up the road until they got to the church. The climbed the spiral staircase, and Ivy sat on the railing as Lash got comfortable. He asked her to stand facing him, facing both sides, and facing back. He did some quick line drawings, and asked her to pose in different positions. Ivy was lucky that he was able to multi-task drawing and talking at the same time, otherwise she may have cried from boredom.

"OK, now do the same thing, but flipped. Like a mirror image." She did as he asked. He finished the quick sketch and looked back up. "OK, now take off your clothes."

Ivy almost fell off the railing. "Now do _**what?**_" He laughed hysterically at her response and shook his head. She jumped down and marched over to him and began to playfully slap him on the head. His threw his arms up in defense when they heard a wolf howl in the distance. They both stopped, and he grabbed his papers as fast as he could. Ivy threw her zip-up back on, and grabbed Lash's free hand. The flew down the stairs and out the door faster than the ever thought possible. As soon as they hopped the fence to the church, the came face to face with an alarmingly large, gray and black wolf. Ivy threw her arm out in front of Lash the way mothers do to their children when crossing the street. Lash stopped dead in his tracks.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He stood completely still. Ivy stared at the wolf in horror, and he stared back in sick pleasure. Inch by inch the wolf changed back to human, and a naked Blake stood before them laughing.

"Did you really think you'd scare me off, Discord?" He laughed harder. His face was scarred with her hand print, and the rips on his arms had begun to scar as well.

"Jordan, when I say 'run'..."

"Run. Got it." He shifted his weight, and she could tell he was scared. But she was unaware that he was more scared for her, than for himself.

"I promised you one day I'd hurt you." Blake's laughter had died, and a cold, dead stare replaced it.

"What are you talking about?" Ivy took a step back.

"After The Oracle died, you went crazy. I remember." He tapped his temple with his index and middle fingers. "I used to watch you walk to school every day. I watched you sit alone. I watched you drink alone. I watched you live your life alone."

"Cane? Dylan Cane?" Her eyes widened more.

"Not anymore. It's Blake now." He took a step towards her and she didn't back away. She began to slowly drop her arm from in front of Lash. "Old habits die hard, Ivy. Watching you was always my favorite hobby. Favorite habit. Favorite everything. You think I'd forget you? Oh, no no no. Not you." Blake shifted back into his wolf form, and he ran at her.

"Run!" She pushed Lash away just as the wolf landed on her. Lash heard a scream of pain, but ran and didn't look back.

Ivy kicked the wolf in his stomach, causing him to lurch back in minor pain, and she was able to scramble back to her feet. She faded into her own Absolute and the two creatures circled each other, both unwilling to make the first strike.

The wolf grew impatient and jumped at the pure white panther. The panther dodged the attack and bit the wolf in its side. It howled in pain and moved towards the panther again. The feline was too fast, and dodged the second attack, ripping flesh off the wolf's massive body. The panther continued to strike at the canine, slowly tearing its skin apart, leaving more and more chunks of fur and flesh on the ground beneath their battle. The wolf grew so weak that it didn't have the energy required to stay in wolf form, and it unwillingly faded back to Blake. The panther stood above the man, and snarled, blood dripping from its mouth. Blake hardly raised his head to face the panther before he completely collapsed, breathing ragged. Ivy was hardly able to convince the cat to sprint back to Lash's home.

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Reviews please!!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

---

Lash helped Ivy clean her minimal wounds, as she explained the incident to Layla and the others, save Warren. Lash had called Layla immediately after he ran from the fight, and when Ivy had returned in her Absolute form, the five supers had been waiting and pacing in Lash's living room. The cat retreated to Ivy's room and she emerged bloody in a bathrobe a few minutes later.

Ivy sat on a chair and Lash cleaned off the dried blood. "Dylan Cane was a boy I had gone to school with since I moved to Louisiana. From the very first day in his class, he watched me. After over a year of watching my every move, he asked me out. I said no at first, but he begged and I couldn't turn him away again. We went out on one lame eighth-grade date, and I knew from the very beginning that it wasn't right, but he wouldn't let it go. Every time he tried to touch me, I yanked back for obvious reasons, but to him that just meant that I wasn't ready to be physical yet. I eventually told him to leave me alone completely. He did for a little while, but when my mom died he went back to watching me. He tried to explain that we were the same now, because his parents died when he was a baby. I still didn't want him, and after a few weeks of sulking and moping, he found some weird Gothic chick to hang around with him.

"At a party the three of us were at, I got really -- um --" She paused. "Well, I couldn't control my powers, and my Absolute took over, and practically mauled the girl. She didn't die, but she was disfigured enough that even reconstructive surgery wouldn't be able to restore her face to it's original structure." Her face paled and her eyes dropped the floor. She couldn't bear to see her friends faces while she told her story. "Dylan refused to let it go after that. For weeks afterward he insisted that I had done it out of jealousy. I refused to acknowledge that I even knew what he was talking about, acting like he was crazy saying that I turned into a giant white cat. But he was convinced of what he'd seen. Now I know why." She took a deep breath.

"After that incident I knew I couldn't risk that kind of loss of control again, so I enrolled myself in a rehab program and cleaned up. After the program ended, I stopped speaking. I couldn't accept what I'd done to that girl, and when my uncle fought with Evelyn over custody, I wrote the court a letter asking to be allowed to stay with my uncle so I could get away from the Super world, and try to move on with my life. The court never mentioned it to either guardian, on behalf of my request, and I could never have the heart to tell my aunt that I didn't want to live with her and go to a Super School." Everyone was silent, and Ivy stood to leave. "I'm so sorry that I dragged you all into this. I didn't know it was Dylan."

"That wouldn't have made a difference. He's still trying to kill you." Lash stood and went to the kitchen.

"He isn't trying to kill me. He could have killed me easily tonight, but he didn't. He chose to stalk and torment me. Injure. Torture. Hurt others to get to me. He wasn't trying to kill me." She stood then, and her hair faded to a deep red that was almost black. Her eyes folded inside themselves to her black irises and split red pupils. "The killing comes later." She walked down the hallway and closed the door behind her.

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One more coming up... Right... NOW!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

---

Most of the week had passed, and not a single word about Dylan or Ivy's story had been exchanged. Everyone seemed to ignore the situation, but Ivy knew they only did this because she wanted it that way. She had kept her hair that dark, almost black shade of red, and the entire week she stayed in dark jeans and black. Her eyes had returned to their normal silver gray, but there was a darkness about them they stayed behind. She had taken up her dark make-up routine, every day painting her eyes exaggerated shades of black and gray. She was changed now. Everyone saw it, everyone ignored it.

Everyone including Warren.

He would see her and simply ignore her existence, acting as if she were just a shadow. Layla tried to convince him to go to her, but he refused and more often than not burned something when Layla would mention it. Magenta had finally convinced Ivy to go to Homecoming, and Trent had even asked to be her date. She gratefully declined stating that she was going with someone else, but only because she didn't want to go with him. She hardly knew him, and the last thing she wanted or needed at that moment was another Dylan. Everything had resumed normal routine and function, and Ivy and Lash had even returned to the bell tower at Holy Names Cathedral to continue the portrait.

"So you're going to Homecoming Saturday night?" Lash studied the beginnings of his sketch and frowned before taking an eraser to it.

"Yeah. We both told Magenta we would. Were you still planning on going? I heard Taylor and Speed are going together." Ivy stood upright for a moment, and hunched her back over until it popped. She sighed in satisfaction and lifted her leg again.

"Don't remind me. I'd give anything to get away from them." He shook his head in dissatisfaction of his sketch, and erased a little more.

"Why don't you sit with us tomorrow at lunch? If Taylor starts something, I'll burn the bitch." She shrugged, and Lash looked up at her wide-eyed.

"What is this world coming to?" His face brightened as he smiled at her in utter mockery.

She scrunched her nose at his remark before smiling back at him. "Seriously. You should sit with us. I'll even come up to you and ask right in front of her if you want."

"You do know you'd be inviting her to kick your ass?" He returned his attention to the sketch.

"Oh, what-ever! I could totally take her." Ivy smirked at the idea.

Earlier in the week they had begun to bring a small stereo with them so Ivy wouldn't be so bored posing, and just as she hopped down to see how the sketch was coming along, "Oh, score! Britney!" She turned the volume up until, Lash was pretty sure, all of Maxville could hear "Piece of Me".

_"I'm Mrs. Lifestyles of the rich and famous, You want a piece of me, I'm Mrs. Oh my God that Britney's Shameless, You want a piece of me..."_

She sang and danced until the song almost ended, with Lash staring at her like she was either the craziest person he knew, or the most attractive. Ivy wasn't sure which, and neither was Lash.

"You should go to Homecoming with me." Lash blurted out the words before his brain had time to comprehend them.

Ivy stopped singing immediately and stared at Lash open-mouthed. "I-- Huh?" Her face took on a most bewildered look, that Lash found adorable.

"Homecoming. You should go with me. Like, as my date." He said again, the second time with more self assuredness.

"As friend-dates, or date-dates?" Her face melted from bewildered to considering.

"Date-dates." He repeated her. "What the hell kind of label is 'date-date'?" Lash's face fell into a confused look.

"I-- Don't know?" She put a puzzled smile on her face, before laughing. "Sure, yeah. I'd love to be your date, Jordan."

"Awesome. Otherwise I'd be completely embarrassed." He turned red at the thought as Ivy burst into laughter.

"Next time I'll say no first, then." He threw his eraser at her and pointed to the railing. She stifled her laughter and crawled back onto the rail. "And hey, this way you totally have a reason to sit with us at lunch tomorrow." He laughed and continued on the sketch.

The short walk back to Lash's house was quiet and peaceful. The night was clear, and the stars were brighter than Ivy had ever seen them from the states.

"I remember nights like this in Greece. I would sit at the beach with Demetri, and he would talk to me. He never bothered to ask why I didn't talk back, maybe cause he knew I wouldn't answer, but he talked to me anyway." She looked up at the sky as they reached the fence that separated his back yard, from the empty lot next door.

Lash handed Ivy his supplies. "Was he your boyfriend or...?" He hopped over and took his canvas and pencils back from her.

"If I'd been able to touch people, without a doubt. But I couldn't, so he wasn't. He didn't know anything about me, but he still sat with me and kept me company." She jumped over the fence and followed Lash inside.

He dumped his supplies in his room before joining Ivy in hers. She openly left the shoe box out since Lash knew about her powers, and he often fiddled with the syringe, just because he thought it was "fun".

"Are you gonna...?" He acted with the syringe as if he were shooting-up.

She frowned as his display before responding. "Not till Saturday. I've been using it too much, I need a break. But I got my new box today, so I have plenty for a little while. I was worried my doc forgot about me. But he didn't." She smiled playfully, and grabbed the syringe from Lash before he accidentally hurt himself, as he was prone to do when surrounded by unfamiliar objects. She glanced at her bedside clock. "Two hours till it wears off." She sighed in slight sarcasm before attacking Lash, and getting into a mini-wrestling match which had become their custom when bored.

The next morning they awoke in their own beds, unsure of when Lash left Ivy's room, but as he searched his body for burns and found none, he assumed it was before her serum wore off. He showered and changed quickly so he could make breakfast for them before they left. Ivy had a quick shower as well, before deciding on what to wear. _White gloves or black?_ She stared at her black and white polka-dotted t-shirt, and black jeans. _White will stand out too much._ She pulled on her long black gloves, and her black high-heeled boots that she wore almost every day. She didn't need the extra three inches, but she liked them. After examining her reflection in the mirror, she changed her mind on the boots, and instead pulled on her combat-style boots, and tucked her jeans inside.

Ivy met Lash in the kitchen where they shared a quick breakfast before racing off to the bus stop. On the bus the couple met Layla, Will, Magenta and Zach. Lash fell asleep briefly, and was awoken by a pencil being stuck up his nose by Zach. He hit Zach upside his head before stomping off the bus.

"Have you gotten a dress yet?" Magenta climbed off the bus and adjusted her bag on her shoulder.

Ivy shook her head, her dark red hair becoming loose from her neat braid. "I have a black dress I could wear, but I'm not sure just yet."

"Is Lash going, too?" Layla was interrupted by Speed purposely bumping into her, knocking her school bag and all its contents onto the grass.

Will closed the few feet between them instantly, and helped Layla gather her belongings, but only after telling Speed to stay away from his girl. Ivy looked at Lash who forced a very fake laugh to join Taylor and Speed.

When Lash saw her threatening glare, and knew that he had crossed the line from appropriate fake bullying to asking for his ass to be kicked. He swallowed hard, and tried to give her a small smile that she did not return.

The first half of the day crept by slowly, and when the lunch period finally came around, Ivy could not have been happier. She walked into the cafeteria to find Lash, Speed and Taylor sitting at their normal table, picking on innocent freshmen that were too scared to stand up for themselves, regardless of what their powers may have been. Ivy went straight up to Lash and smiled.

"Hey." She raised a hand in a small wave. "Did you wanna sit with us?" She motioned towards her friends and was as sweet as she could muster, while trying not to smack the dirty look off Taylor's face.

Lash nodded his head. "Yeah, sure." He turned back to a stunned Taylor and Speed. "Later, guys." The two bullies were too shocked to even think to respond, and once Lash and Ivy were a safe distance away, he thanked her.

"Don't ever pick on Layla again. Me, sure. Not Layla." She looked at him with a very stern expression.

"I didn't know he was going to. I'll be sure to apologize. I felt really bad." His eyes dropped to the floor beneath him, and Ivy's coldness melted at his guilt. She took his hand and squeezed it. He looked up at her in such surprise at the gesture, that he hadn't noticed they had reached the table with their fingers still laced together. The entire table fell silent as they saw the two holding hands, and Zach tried not to choke on his soda.

"Hey... Uh... Guys." Layla looked at their hands, before finding their faces.

Ivy looked down at their hands, and quickly pulled away from him. Lash followed her example, and both turned a light shade of embarrassed pink. Ivy quickly sat down next to Magenta and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Hey, did you guys hear? Warren has a date to Homecoming!" Trish Pearl, a friend of Layla's had run up to the group practically bursting with the news.

Ivy felt her face pale, and she turned to look at her friends, none of whom returned the eye contact.

Layla smiled faintly at Trish and nodded. "Yeah, we heard."

"Who is she? She'd better be good enough for that hunk of muscle. How long has he known her? Are they together?" Trish's eyes gleamed at the questions and answers, waiting for someone to say anything about the mystery girl so she had gossip to spread.

"We don't know. He hasn't said much." Will looked at Trish, and her smile faded instantly.

"OK. Well, um, I guess let me know when you hear something. Otherwise we can all meet her tomorrow." She put a fake cheery smile, obviously let down that she hadn't received any gossip, and she excused herself from the table that she had seated herself at, uninvited.

Lash looked at Ivy, who was staring down at her bottle of water.

"I forgot something in my locker. I'll see you guys later." She stood and left, ignoring the goodbyes from her friends. Lash stayed at the table, unsure of what to do.

Ivy could feel a surge of anger swiping through her body, and fought to suppress it until she got outside. Opening the door to the cafeteria she slammed it straight into Warren, who was ready to fight had it been anyone else. She looked up, her eyes black and red, saw his face, and ran right past him. He stayed where he was, and Layla and Magenta came out with Ivy's school bag.

"Did you see Ivy? She left her bag..." Magenta's voice trailed off, as she saw Ivy running down the hallway, and caught on that the two of them had just shared a most unpleasant encounter.

"We can give it to her in PE." Layla tugged at Magenta's sleeve gently, pulling her back into the cafeteria. They smiled quickly at Warren before making a quick escape back to their table.

Will, Zach and Lash sat tensely as the girls rushed back, followed by an unhappy Warren.

"Who told her?" He didn't bother to sit down. He stared at the table top, heat slowly rising from him. Silence answered him, and he asked again, louder. "Who. Told her."

Will hesitantly answered. "Trish Pearl, Trent's date." Warren glared at Will, slammed his fist on the table so hard that the blue plastic cracked, and he left the cafeteria with everyone staring at him.

No one saw Ivy the rest of the day, and after school Lash, Will, Layla, Zach, Magenta, and even Warren stood around waiting to see if she'd show up. Layla had carried Ivy's bag around the entire day in hopes of seeing her, but had no such luck. All the students were scattered on the lawn waiting for the buses to come to take them home.

_"She'll make you weep. And moan and cry. To be back in the bosom. To do it again..."_

"What the--?" Magenta's voice trailed off, as her head followed the eerie voice to the top of the roof, where Ivy stood, completely black hair slashing around her in the wind. All the students followed her line of sight.

_"Praying to stay in her arms just until I can die a little bit longer. Saviors and saints, devils and demons alike. She'll eat you alive."_

Ivy stared into the sky, and the light darkened.

_"My pulse has been rising. My temples are burning..."_

She turned her focus back to the lawn beneath her.

_"What is she waiting for?" _

Warren took a step towards the building, and Ivy took the step off the building. Most of the students screamed, others ran forwards, Lash stretched his arms as far as he could, but even then could not reach her. Warren began to run forward and Will shot into the sky, but Ivy dropped to the ground beneath her and landed on her feet without batting an eye. She walked straight forward to the buses, ignoring Warren and the rest of her friends, and they could see her eyes were a shade of black that did not exist in the normal world; it was the black of fear and hate that only true evil saw. She entered an empty bus, and when not a single other person went to join her, the bus took off with its lone passenger.

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Ohhh dramaaaaa!

Reviews are welcome!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

---

Ivy zipped the back of her dress, and adjusted the straps so they fit on her broad shoulders. She looked at herself in the full length mirror, and although the dress was shorter than anything she'd ever worn, she felt oddly comfortable. Midway down her thighs with a slit in the back, form-fitting showing off her close to perfect figure, pure-white satin with a straight neckline and thin straps. With an empire waist seam, and a small slit down the center of the bust line, Ivy smiled at her image of Warren's reaction to the revealing dress. She had let her hair dry completely straight, before adding a few perfect curls to the very top layer, and she had let it fade from it's black state the day before back to the dark ruby of the entire week. She pulled on her mid-calf, white leather heeled-boots, finished her gray, black and red eyeshadow, added a touch of dark red lipstick to match her hair, and she left her room, black mini-trench coat in hand.

Lash hadn't seen Ivy since she had left school the day before. She hadn't been home when he got back, and she hadn't left her room the entire day. When he knocked on her door and got no response, he assumed she'd been in the shower and hadn't heard him. He got dressed in his black tux and a black and white striped t-shirt, and waited anxiously in the living room for her. He'd slipped a note under her door saying the last bus for the school left at precisely eight-thirty. He glanced at the clock above his mantle. Eight-fifteen. He turned to walk down the hall and get her, when he saw her standing blocking his path.

Ivy had put her coat on over the dress and buttoned it completely. She had a sheer, thin white and silver scarf that she wore around her neck, and a thick silver cuff on her left wrist. Lash gave a nervous smile when he saw her, and she returned it with a pleasant, almost happy one of her own. Lash went to let Walker know they were leaving, and returned to the living room in an instant. He opened the door for her, and the two of them sped down the street to the stop.

"I'm sorry I've ignored you all day." She didn't turn to look at him, simply stared into night.

Lash turned his head towards her. "It's fine. Your first priority is to take care of yourself." He paused for a minute to see a smile pass over her face. "You look beautiful, by the way."

Ivy shifted her weight to face him, with a huge grin across her face. "Just wait 'til you see the dress." She raised her eyebrow suggestively just as the bus came. She boarded the bus, leaving Lash to stand just a moment to contemplate her statement, smile devilishly, and follow her to the third row of seats. There were few others on the bus, most of them sophomore's and freshmen.

"Taylor and Tony are already there. They called asking when I was coming only about seven times." He rolled his eyes, and sighed angrily.

"Did you tell them you were waiting for your date?" Ivy looked at him with a tinge of humor sparkling on her lips.

"Yeah. They didn't even know I had a date. Taylor asked who would even think about going with me." He looked back at her, and an anger passed through his eyes.

"What wonderful people they are." Ivy smiled sarcastically, and the bus landed with Lash laughing loud and hard.

Ivy and Lash entered the gym to see most everyone dancing. Layla came running over as soon as she saw them enter, and gave Lash a huge hug before turning to Ivy and repeating Lash's nervous smile.

"I don't get a hug?" Ivy put her hands on her hips and mock scoffed.

Layla smiled widely at her friends lifted spirit and gave her an even bigger hug than the one she'd given Lash. She led Lash and Ivy to the table she'd grabbed for their group, and was surprised to see Magenta and Zach still sitting. Will looked miserable and sipped his punch.

"Whoa, who died?" Ivy sat down without undoing her coat, and Lash sat beside her.

Will glanced at the dance floor, hinting that Ivy should do the same. She turned her head hesitantly, eyes lingering on Will's expression for a moment longer than necessary, before fully comprehending the scene before her.

"Is that her?" Ivy felt her face flushing with anger and jealousy.

Warren was, most willingly, dancing with a tall, dark, and beautiful Native American girl with long braids, and sparkling green eyes. She was in a long royal blue dress that swept the ground, and black flats.

"Yeah. He hasn't said a word to any of us all night. Just came in and started dancing." Ivy looked at Zach who didn't even attempt to hide his disappointment and sadness at their rejection.

"Who is she?" Ivy turned to Layla, who undoubtedly knew.

"His first girlfriend. They were together for over two years, granted it was middle school, but she moved away. She's visiting her grandpa for a little while, and Principal Powers agreed to let her come, but only cause she was good friends with Aponi's mom."

"She's a super?" Ivy turned back to look at the dark-skinned Native girl. "She's beautiful." Everyone turned to look at Ivy, and saw her posture shrink, and her hair begin to fade to a lighter shade of red.

"Yeah." Layla continued. "Her name means butterfly. One guess what her power is." She shrugged sadly.

"She flies." Ivy sighed. "Does she have wings?" She turned her attention back to Layla who nodded. "Well, as long as he's happy."

Zach snorted. "He looks happy all right." Ivy turned back to see Aponi slow dancing with him, both laughing.

Lash glanced at Ivy, whose hair had darkened again and face had flushed that angry red. Her eyes began to fold, but stopped midway, and reversed back to their gray.

"You can't just sit and stare all night. Gotta make him look at you." Lash whispered so only Ivy heard, and she looked at him stupidly.

"What would he be jealous of? Look at her, Jordan." She looked back at Aponi.

"You'd be surprised." He didn't take his eyes off Ivy's face as he stood up and unbuttoned his jacket. "C'mon. We're not just gonna sit here all night."

"I don't really feel like dancing right now." She turned back to the table, and Magenta shrieked. They all turned their attention to her, and her attention was fixated on the dance floor in horror. Ivy, Layla and the boys whipped their heads around to see Warren and Aponi gently kissing each other.

Lash leaned back down. "So. Let's give him something to be jealous about." He offered Ivy his hand, and she looked up at him with a mischievous smile. She took the offered hand and stood up. Slowly unbuttoning her coat, feminine gasps and gawking boys from all around fixed their attention on her. She slipped the coat off her shoulders, and let it rest on the back of the chair. Zach and Will both looked up at her, and Zach nearly fell out of his seat. Layla and Magenta glanced at her, then at each other not sure whether to be jealous at their boyfriends' sudden distraction or not.

Lash led Ivy out to the dance floor, most of the student population staring at her as they went.

"See?" The started dancing slowly. "Everyone else is staring. Why wouldn't he?"

"Maybe because he's too busy sucking face with Butterfly-Girl." She felt her eyes folding again, and she shut them and squeezed them tight to stop it.

She and Lash danced for a few songs, until Taylor and Speed spotted them.

"Lash. What are you doing with _her_?" Ivy and Lash stopped and turned to see Taylor and Speed standing before them. "Don't tell me _she's_ your date!" Ivy saw Taylor's face slowly twist into a jealous rage.

"Yeah. She is." He turned his back to them and took Ivy's hand to continue dancing, when Speed grabbed his friends shoulder and whipped him back around.

"Don't talk to her like that, man. Not cool."

"I'm tryna dance here, you guys mind?" He ignored Speed's stare and again focused on Ivy, who was smiling in admiration that he was finally breaking away from them.

"Who is that girl dancing with Warren?" Taylor's attention was completely diverted by Aponi. "Who is that girl _kissing_ Warren!" Ivy heard Taylor's breath catch in her throat, and she maneuvered around Lash just in time to catch a falling Taylor.

"Hey, calm down. Can you stand? Here." Ivy grabbed Taylor's arm, and draped it around her neck. "Lean on me. Lash get her other arm." Lash grabbed her other arm without question, and mirrored Ivy on Taylor's other side. Together they helped Taylor walk over to their table.

"What in the-- ?" Will immediately stood up and went over to Ivy. "Are you joking? Since when are you friends with her?" Will was outraged in his own right, but Ivy ignored his complaints.

"Speed, get her some water." He was back in the blink of an eye with a cup of cold water, handing it to Ivy.

Ivy knelt down next to Taylor, who was weakly sitting in the chair that held Ivy's coat. She managed to get the entire cup of water down, and her breathing slowed and the heaviness faded back to normality.

"You OK?" Ivy rubbed her back a little in comfort.

Taylor looked up at Ivy, unsure of how to respond. "Why are you being nice to me? I hate you."

Ivy smiled. "So I'm told. But if there's one person I despise above you, it's her." She nodded in Aponi's direction, who was still contently kissing Warren on the dance floor.

"How are you so calm about it?" Ivy turned her attention back to Taylor, who looked utterly helpless and broken-hearted.

"Because. If it makes him happy..." Her voice trailed and she shrugged.

Will, Layla, Magenta and Zach all stood around Taylor, listening to the two girls exchange dialogue about Warren and his old flame. For the first time since Warren and Taylor's break-up, they saw vulnerability in her when she spoke about him, not anger.

Layla sheepishly stepped forward to Taylor and knelt down beside Ivy. "You wanna dance with us? I promise we're still fun." She gave Taylor a warm smile, and was pleasantly surprised when it was returned, even if weakly and sadly. Taylor nodded, and took a deep breath before standing up. Layla's knee-length brown dress rustled as she stood, and she gently smoothed the skirt. She adjusted the cap sleeves and V-neckline before complaining it was still too big, even after alterations. Magenta laughed at her, and retied her corsette style back. Lash took Ivy's hand gingerly and the group of eight made their way onto the dance floor.

Taylor and Speed started dancing to the slow song, but she could tell his attention was elsewhere.

"What's up, Tony?" She tilted her head to the side a bit, in an effort to be casual.

"Nothing." He continued dancing, but Taylor stopped abruptly, and he stared at her. "You still have feelings for him, don't you?"

Taylor took a step back from him and shifted uncomfortably. "I'm just not used to seeing him with someone else. I don't still like him, Tony." She shook her head as if he were crazy to think such a thing.

"Maybe not. But you do still love him." He continued to watch her, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"I've tried to stop, Tony. You don't understand how I've tried to get him out of my head." She looked back at him, with small tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

Nearby Ivy and Lash could hear the entire conversation. She looked at him worried.

"Well. Good luck, Taylor." He mock bowed to her and left the floor.

Ivy and Lash immediately stopped dancing and watched Speed slam the gym doors open and leave the building. Ivy looked up at Lash.

"I'll try to talk to him. Don't know what good it'll do, but..." She shrugged, squeezed Lash's hand and jogged after Speed. Lash went to Taylor, who stood where Speed had left her, and he pulled her in close to finish the slow dance.

"Ivy's talking to him. Hopefully she'll work it all out." He reassuringly patted her back.

"She's good at that, isn't she?" Taylor mumbled into Lash's shoulder.

"Actually, she kinda sucks at it." Taylor let out a small laugh, and as the song changed into a faster one, they changed momentum to match the beat.

"Speed! Hey, Speed, wait a sec!" Ivy dashed out of the main building and down the first flight of steps to meet Speed on the landing.

"What? Haven't you caused enough problems?" He turned on her, dark and angry.

"I haven't done anything. Look, I know this must be killing you but--"

"No. You don't know _shit_." He pushed her shoulder back and turned his back. He went to the waiting bus and boarded it.

Ivy stood, watching the bus take off into the air, shocked that Speed could be so cold. Eventually she made her way back to the gym where she saw Warren and Will in a verbal fight, with Layla, Magenta, and Zach standing silently and awkwardly. Ivy walked over to the three bystanders, and linked arms with Layla.

"Where's Lash and Taylor?" She whispered quietly so she didn't interrupt the boys' quarrel. Layla turned her head and nodded back to the dance floor. Ivy nodded her understanding and turned back to Will yelling at Warren.

"You've been a total dick all week, Warren, then you show up here, with some random girl that you've never even mentioned before yesterday, and you ignore us all night."

"I haven't see you all week, Stronghold. How does that qualify as being a dick in your book?" Warren stepped closer to Will, meeting him at eye-level, neither willing to back down for the sake of their pride.

"You need to stop brooding and get over yourself." Everyone within hearing distance gasped at Will's unusual forthrightness.

"What?" Warren stepped even closer to Will, heat and smoke starting to rise out of him.

Ivy stepped forward then before someone got hurt, and she pulled Will away from Warren. "Will, stop. This isn't the time or the place." Will didn't take his eyes of his best friend. "Will." Ivy turned Will's face so he was looking at her instead. "Stop. Go dance with Lay. Have a good time. You can do this later." She pushed him in Layla's direction, and reluctantly was led to the dance floor. Magenta and Zach gave Ivy small smiles and followed them. Ivy turned back to Warren, whom she hadn't spoken to in over a week. He stared at her, and quickly looked her up and down.

"You look --"

"Stop." She put her hand in front of his face. "Don't say a thing, Warren. Just go back to you female. I'm sure her mouth is starting to get dry." Ivy went to leave him, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, unwilling to let go. "Get off me." She struggled to get out from his hold, but failed.

"She's just a friend." He looked at her in the eyes as she continued to fight against his grip.

"I don't care what she is. Your life is none of my business, now let go of me." She hit him as hard as she could with such minimal use of her arms and hands.

He pulled her closer to him, and pressed her into his chest. He leaned down to close the gap between them, and whispered in her ear. "You look amazing tonight, Ivy." His soft breath was hot on her ear, and traveled down her neck and spine, but she refused to let the shiver and goosebumps show. He gently kissed the skin beneath her earlobe, letting his lips linger for just a moment before letting go of her completely and walking away without a second glance.

"What was that about?" Ivy whipped around to see Layla and Lash standing behind her.

"The ass has moved on from ignoring me, to mocking me." She lied, but let her honest frustration show. "Whatever. Let's dance!" She grabbed their hands and pulled them both back to the dance floor.

Everyone danced for hours. Taylor had slowly melted the exterior layer of ice she'd acquired, and became the friendly, fun girl they'd known when Warren was dating her. Will was the last of the group to accept her change of heart, but ultimately let it go because he understood the depth of her hurt. Taylor and Ivy were more similar in personality than anyone had ever realized or noticed, and the two girls spent most of the night dancing with each other and singing at the top of their lungs to the music.

_"You've been waiting so long, I'm here to answer your calls... I know them other guys', they been talkin' 'bout the way I do what I do, they heard I was good, they wanna see if it's true..."_

In the midst of their dancing, Taylor noticed Warren and Aponi had returned to the floor, hand in hand, exchanging quick kisses now and then, and she turned the other way.

"Uh, gross. I'm gonna dance over there." Ivy grabbed Lash's hand and dragged him quickly to the otherside.

"Don't these people have any shame? I would never do something like that." Ivy was honestly embarrassed watching the two of them.

Lash smiled as he moved to look at her. "And you also never wear stuff like this." He pulled the strap of her tight white dress. "Uncharacteristic much?" He raised a laughing eyebrow.

"Oh, you love it." She laughed at him and continued to dance.

Lash was lucky Trent came at that moment to distract Ivy, so she couldn't see him blush in agreement.

The rest of the night passed without any issues or problems, and Ivy and Lash returned to the house with more energy than they'd had when they'd left. They burst into Lash's room laughing and play fighting, the way they did.

"So. Warren wasn't happy watching you dance with me." He pushed her shoulder, watching her anger and embarrassment grow and fight each other for control.

"Oh, whatever. I'm over it." She took her boots off, and looked at Lash, who stood staring at her with a mock agreement written on his face. "What!" She flailed her arms at him.

"Liar." He said simply while taking his own shoes off. She smirked at him before going into her room to change into her sweats. She returned to his room within minutes and he was lying on his bed in gray sweats. He patted the edge of his bed, inviting her to join him, and she accepted the offer.

They lay side by side on his bed for a few moments before he leaned over her and flipped on the radio. After settling back next to her, he turned his head to face hers. "Why do you care about him?"

She returned his stare, and did her best to shrug. "I don't know. Because... He's... I don't know. He was there for me?" She turned back to face the ceiling that had the galaxy painted on it.

"The whole tall, dark and handsome thing did you in?" He turned his own attention back to the ceiling.

"Somethin' like that." Ivy smiled and looked at him again. Her smile faded as she saw his own saddened expression. "What's wrong?" She frowned at him.

"Nothing. Just tired, I guess." He turned his head and faked a smile.

Ivy continued to look at him, studying his face. His hazel-chestnut eyes, shaggy hair, cute nose... Perfect lips... Her gaze stayed locked on his lips for an instant before finding their way back to his eyes. She nervously raised her left hand up to rest on his cheek, gently stroking the soft skin. She saw the confusion in his face, and smiled slightly. She slowly, gently kissed his lips, unsure of exactly how to; she'd never been able to touch anyone, let alone kiss them before three months ago.

She pulled herself away from him, and saw the confusion had intensified. "What was that for?"

"Just seemed right." She felt her mood dampen by his response, before he leaned in to kiss her back. She leaned over, so she was above him, and she entangled her fingers in his hair as his arms wrapped around her waist and back, hugging her. Slowly, his hands found their way onto her skin, and the lights above them begin to fold in, glowing dimly. Ivy briefly pulled herself away from his lips to look at him. He returned the smile in her eyes, and she kissed him again.

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Ohh no!!! Haha Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Ivy woke up the following morning with Lash's arms wrapped around her and the sweet smell of him surrounding her. She rolled over towards him as gently as she could so she wouldn't wake him up, but when she finally made it to the other side, she saw him lying next to her with his eyes open, a sleepy smile on his face. She brushed his hair back from his face, before laying a soft kiss on his cheek. He grumbled something incoherently as he closed his eyes and tried to bury his face between her neck and the pillow beneath them. She gave a quick laugh at him before reaching down to the floor to gather her clothes.

Lash stroked her back with his soft fingers. "What's it mean?" He traced the trinity knot she had tattooed on the base of her neck.

She slipped into her gym pants, and pulled her tank over her head before turning around to look at him. "It's a Celtic knot. It symbolizes the three parts of a whole. Like... Mind, body and spirit. In my case, it's Father, Son and Holy Spirit. My mom used to take me to church every Sunday. She was raised Catholic, so she made sure that I understood what it was, but she let me decide whether or not to believe in it. She was lucky that I do."

"Where are they from?" He blushed a little.

She smiled at his embarrassment. "They're Irish. My mom was born in Ireland, so she was way into their culture and stuff. She wasn't Irish, though. She was half Cherokee Indian, a quarter Brazilian and a quarter just plain white."

"You don't look any of those. Except maybe white." He laughed at her frowning face, before hesitating a moment. "What about your dad? You've never really talk about him." He shifted so his left arm was under the pillow, supporting his head, and he was laying on his left side instead of his back.

Ivy crawled back into the bed with him and lay down mirroring his position. "He was a normal guy. He wasn't a super, and when he found out my mom was, he left. I was barely a year old, so I never knew him. And he's never tried to get in touch with me." She shrugged indifferently. "They weren't ever married, and the way my mom used to talk about him, she wasn't really in love with him either. It's OK though." She saw the confusion and pity on his face and kissed him. "Don't look at me like that."

His face changed immediately. "Like what?"

"Like you feel bad for me." She brushed more hair from his face before getting out of the bed again. "Come on. I'll make breakfast."

He laughed as he grabbed for his pants. "You cook? That's... Shocking."

"I _can_ cook if that's what you're asking." She playfully threw a white t-shirt at him before opening his door.

Ivy and Lash spent the rest of the day cuddled on the couch watching television together. The sun was bright outside, but neither could convince themselves to move, so they stayed on the couch and eventually fell asleep. It was only when Walker woke them when they realized they'd fallen asleep at all. He made a quick dinner for the three of them before retiring to his own room. Ivy and Lash dragged themselves back to their own rooms, and within seconds of being in their beds, both were completely asleep.

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Questions? Comments? Concerns?


	22. Chapter 22

I hope everyone is having happy holidays!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

---

Ivy rolled out of her bed and slammed her alarm clock off. She sluggishly found her way to the bathroom for a nice hot shower, and just as lazily found her way back and collapsed on her bed. After a few minutes of laying on the bed with wet hair in nothing but her towel, she pulled herself up to get dressed. She stared into her closet for a few minutes before finally deciding on clothes. _White. White is good._ A form-fitting white t-shirt, and a pair of dark jeans tucked into her clunky army-style boots. She stared at herself in the mirror. _Bleh._ She groaned, and pulled on her Guess jacket, and black bike gloves. She still had a few hours left on her serum, but was strangely in the mood for gloves. She added some black eye-liner and met Lash in the kitchen. She dropped her school bag and he looked up at her immediately from his bowl of Cocoa Lucky Charms.

"You look like hell." He took a spoonful, and she stared at him unhappily before grabbing the bowl from him and draining it into her mouth. "Uhh--" She put the empty bowl in front of him and wiped her mouth on her black sleeve. "Thanks." He scowled at her before putting the bowl in the dishwasher.

Ivy yawned and picked her bag off the floor. Lash yelled to his dad that they were leaving, and followed her to the front door. They got to the bus stop a few minutes early, and she leaned her head on his shoulder closing her eyes, ready to fall back asleep. He chuckled at her, and put his arm around her shoulders. The bus arrived, and he woke her gently from her minor nap so they could board. Lash steadily led her to the back of the bus where Layla and the rest, including Warren, were sitting. Ivy sat in a corner seat and leaned her head against the window and went back to sleep.

"Hey, she aiight?" Zach pointed to Ivy with his Pop Tart.

"Yeah, she's fine. She slept like, all yesterday, and all throughout the night, though. I dunno why she's so tired." Lash shrugged and broke off a corner of Zach's' tart. "Hey, she ate my breakfast, OK?" He pushed Zach's shoulder, and Zach snorted.

Conversation ensued, and no one took care to notice Warren staring at Ivy the entire ride.

When they landed at the school, Lash helped Ivy up since she couldn't seem to figure out how to use her legs. When they were all off the bus, she regained most of her balance, and widened her eyes as much as she could to wake herself up a bit. Lash put his arm around her shoulder, and she smiled at him, and wrapped her own arm around his waist. Layla smiled to herself seeing them walking together, until she smelled smoke. Her head whipped around and saw Warren's arms and back smoking. She walked over to him cautiously, and put a comforting hand on his arm. Never taking his eyes off Lash, he grabbed his arm away from her, and stalked into the school.

Classes went by quickly enough, and lunch rolled around. Ivy went to meet her friends in the cafeteria, but just as she opened the door Will came running up to her.

"Ivy! Talk some sense into Lash!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the circle of people that crowded around the back corner of the cafeteria where their normal table was.

"Wait, what?" He pulled her through the crowds of people, and saw Warren's arms lit, and Lash ready to take him on. She immediately stepped between them, and looked Lash in his eyes. "Stop, Jordan. What are you thinking?"

"You don't think I can take him?" His face flushed with anger and heat.

"No. I know you can stand on your own. This just isn't the place. Please." She begged and pleaded with her eyes for him to stop, and he allowed his arms to return to normal.

"Let's settle this then." He moved past Ivy straight to Warren. "Save the Citizen. Today." They were mere inches away from each other.

"You're on." Warren backed away and left the cafeteria completely.

"That isn't what I meant, Lash." He turned around to see a disappointed Ivy staring sadly at him.

"You've never called me Lash before." He looked puzzled.

She shook her head and shrugged in disbelief. "I've never had to." She took her own bag and left the room. Lash was left standing alone as the people dispersed back to their hobbies and friends.

Ivy found her way outside and walked to the edge of the platform that held the school. She stared into her cool, gray sky, and breathed in the newly cut grass and the old, fallen leaves. She took one last look around the cloudless sky, and went back towards the entrance to the school. She headed straight for her locker, and found Magenta waiting there.

"Hey, there." Ivy greeted her with a smile and opened her locker door.

"You can't let Lash fight him." Magenta fixed a cold, stern glare on her tall friend.

Ivy exchanged some books and replied to her friend. "It isn't my decision. It's his life, his battle."

"No. It's your battle. It's about you, Ivy. You can't let them fight each other. One of them will end up seriously injured, and since Lash has no real reason to be angry, I'm betting Warren is gonna go in for the kill." Magenta's face turned from grave and serious, to worried and nervous.

Ivy closed her locker door. "I'm not getting involved with this." She looked at her purple haired friend. "How did it even come up?"

Magenta took a breath. "Lash came over to the table looking for you, and he sat down for like, a second, while we talked to him. When Warren came over, he just flipped a bitch about how Lash was in his seat, and they just started yelling, and when Lash tried to leave, Warren decided it was time to fight. You got there before anything actually happened, though."

"Sounds like Warren needs some anger management." Ivy left Magenta standing dumbfounded by the locker, and went to her class.

When PE finally arrived, the entire school had turned up for the event. Everyone, regardless of what social group they were, or were not in knew about Lash and Warren's quiet battle over Ivy, and they all wanted to see the result. Coach Boomer made the announcement that there had been a Save the Citizen Battle Challenge, and that normal class would resume the following day. By the time everyone had filed inside the gym and were seated and waiting, adrenaline was high and Warren was already in his gear. Lash was suiting up, and Ivy went to talk to him.

"You shouldn't be doing this." She looked him, and when he chose to ignore her statement she smirked and walked away.

"Stone! Why aren't you in your gym clothes?" Boomer yelled at her from across the arena, and she simply stared back at him, unwilling to respond.

Ivy found Layla, Will, Magenta, Zach and Taylor sitting in the stands, and she sat beside Taylor on the end.

"Peace! Partner?" Warren looked in Will's direction. "Stronghold, what a surprise."

"No." Warren said one word, and the entire gym was silent. "I want Ivy." Lash stopped messing with his gear, and looked up at Warren, who had a manipulative grin on his face, one that no one had ever seen.

"Hm, interesting. Stone, get down here." Boomer didn't look up, and Ivy sat right where she was, staring at Warren utterly bewildered. When Boomer raised his attention from his clipboard, he saw she hadn't come down from the stands yet. "Discord." She snapped her head at Boomer, the light in the room flaring bright as her eyes turned cold, and her hair faded to a piercing, angry red. Boomer tried to ignore the sudden surge of fear that covered him. "Get down to the arena, Ivy." He gulped hard, and released a deep breath when she made her way to the floor without a word.

She took off her jacket, and stood in her t-shirt, jeans and boots, arms crossed, hair growing wilder and angrier by the second. Boomer knew that no matter what he said next, she wouldn't change or put on her protective gear, so he wisely chose to change the focus of his attention.

Lash practically ran over to her. "What are you doing? You can't be part of this!" She followed his earlier example, and ignored him.

"Lash. Partner?" Lash looked up at Boomer, lost in thoughts and worries. "Partner?" Boomer repeated, the second time with less patience and a little louder.

"Uh, right." Lash looked around the stands. He knew Speed wasn't at school, and he didn't want to put Ivy against anyone too strong, he didn't want her to get hurt... He saw Taylor staring at him, and when he locked eyes with her, she nodded. "I'll have Taylor Conrad."

Boomer nodded to Taylor who jumped up and ran down to throw on her gear. She looked at Ivy from across the room, and gave her a gentle smile.

"Peace. You issued the challenge. Heroes or villains?" Boomer's hand was ready to write heroes, Warren could tell.

"Villains." His manipulative smile grew wider, and he looked at Ivy, who grew even more infuriated than she had been before. She clenched her fist, almost to the point of drawing blood, but gulped hard, and shook it off. The lights grew so bright that everyone was beginning to have a hard time seeing, and Boomer had to remind Ivy that she was controlling it. Slowly the lights returned to normal, and she looked up at the timer.

"Ready. Set. Battle!" The fight commenced.

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Reviews!!


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Taylor shot spike after spike at Ivy, who dodged each and every one of them, glancing back towards Warren and Lash as often as she could spare. She ducked behind the dumpster, and watched the shards of ice fall to the ground. After less than a second, Taylor switched techniques and froze the entire dumpster solid, before shooting a vertical line of spikes right down the center. They cracked both the ice and the dumpster, and the object fell into two pieces. Ivy darted out from her hiding place before the dumpster broke, and she ran towards Warren.

He saw Ivy coming, and saw the spikes coming as well. He shot a quick fireball at Taylor which threw her off-balance before returning his attention to Lash, who had stretched his arms over to the broken dumpster and grabbed the pieces. He hurtled them at Warren, who dove out of the way and melted them simultaneously. Warren began throwing ball after ball of his raging fire, that seemed to grow hotter by the minute. He hit Lash once and caused him to stumble and lose concentration as he stretched his arm towards Warren. Warren saw his opportunity there, and continued throwing the fireballs at him, each one larger and hotter than the one before.

Ivy looked at the clock. _A minute and a half. Lash can't take that much more._ She looked around, and saw Taylor preparing to throw the ultimate spike at her. Over three feet long, Ivy knew it could impale someone easily, and made a mental note to yell at Taylor later. Taylor let the spike go, and it didn't go towards Ivy, but towards Warren, who was completely oblivious to the entire issue. Ivy ran as fast as she could across the arena, and pushed Warren out of the way, all in an instant realizing it was Taylor's way of helping Lash. Ivy fell on top of Warren in the process, and before having time to really register what had happened, both were back on their feet, Warren continuing his assault on the still fallen Lash, and Ivy running over to where Taylor stood.

Ivy pushed Taylor back as far as she could without causing any actual injury, and ran towards the citizen. She leapt over the mulcher grabbing onto the rope, and folded her arms into the panthers, as she had done before with Layla as her partner. She ripped it in half, causing both the citizen and herself to fall. She stretched her momentum as much as she could, and missed the mulcher by an inch, landing on her feet in a crouching position, letting the citizen get crushed.

Boomer blew his whistle, and announced the villains had won, but Warren continued to throw his fire balls at Lash, who was pinned against the plastic side of the arena, in too much pain to move out of the way. Ivy and Taylor ran straight for Lash, but Warren still didn't stop. Taylor pulled Lash out of the line of fire, and Ivy stepped into it, a ball hitting her left wrist; the same wrist Warren had helped take care of. He stopped a single flame too late, and saw Ivy standing with a singed glove, and blackened skin. Fire couldn't actually burn her because of her skin, regardless of the serum, but it could still cause her pain. Warren saw the injury's pain reflected on her face, and took a step forward to apologize, letting the flames on his arms die. She walked towards Lash, still cold and angry, and Taylor helped Lash sit up on the floor.

Lash smiled weakly. "And you still didn't win." He gave a half-hearted, pained laugh.

Warren's eyes flew wide and angry, and he lit his arms with the brightest, hottest flame he could. But the fire didn't stop at his arms. The heat and smoke and flickering colors engulfed his entire body as he screamed in anger ready to attack Lash again, but Ivy stepped before him, and he stopped. The flamed remained burning against the leather and bare skin, and Ivy took her already burned hand, and pushed it through the fire until she was able to touch Warren's skin.

"That's enough." She held his hand through the flame, and simply looked at him.

The flames were gone in an instant, leaving no trace of having ever been present. Ivy and Warren stared at each other for less than a moment, before Ivy left and returned to Lash. Will helped Ivy take him to Nurse Spex to see if she could help him at all, though it was doubtful. The rest of the student body quietly exited the gym, feeling uncomfortable about the seriousness of the personal conflict that had just ensued before them. Ivy insisted that Will go home, and that she'd be fine to take care of Lash on her own. He reluctantly returned to Layla, Magenta, Zach and Taylor, and the five left.

Ivy stood outside the nurse's offices in the hallway, and paced back and forth. It had been over twenty minutes, and there was still no word. Lash had been on the brink of losing consciousness from the pain, and Ivy had begun to think that maybe he had. She paced back and forth a few times. She leaned against the opposing wall from the door, and squatted against it. She eventually sat down completely, but found that staying still didn't help her nerves. She stood back up and began pacing all over again.

"Is he OK?" Ivy whipped around herself to see an ashamed Warren Peace standing sheepishly, with his hands in his pockets, shoulders tense and hunched, eyes on the floor.

"I don't know." Ivy clipped her words, and turned her back to him to continue pacing. She turned right back around, with calm fury in her voice. "What were you thinking, Warren?"

"I don't know." He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"You have an answer for everything, now is not the time to lose that egotistical edge of yours. How could you do that to him?" Warren raised his eyes to look at her, and she took a step back in shock. A small tear rolled down his stubbled cheek, and he shook his head again.

"I was just so angry." He stopped there, unsure of how or if he should go on. When she remained silent, he did. "I never meant to hurt him, but I just kept remembering seeing you and him. At school, at the dance, imagining you at his house... In his bed." He stopped and looked back up at her, unaware that he had dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Warren." She walked the few feet between them, and stood with hardly three inches separating them. "Lash has been a great friend to me. He's never once made things hard, or made me feel bad about myself."

"I have?" He interrupted her in shock.

"Let me finish." She watched his face relax out of the surprised look, and settle on something leaning towards indignant. "The man in the cloak is a boy I used to know. His name is Dylan. He attacked both myself and Lash a while ago, and Lash never thought twice about who I am, or why Dylan was after me. He simply accepted that it happened." Ivy stopped and studied Warren for a moment more, and saw the twitch of anger in his eyes when he heard that Dylan had attacked her again. "Lash never asked questions. He waited for me to speak when I was ready to tell him what was going on, and that means more to me than anything. You know how I hate to be pressured into answering questions when I'm not ready."

"I never pressured you about thing." A hopelessness and sadness overcame his features, and Ivy raised a hand up to his face. She rested it on cheek, and wiped away the trail of the single tear with her soft thumb.

"That isn't what I'm saying. I'm saying that Lash has been a good friend. A great friend, even." She stroked his cheek a few more times, before pulling him into a gentle hug.

"Just a good friend, huh?" Ivy turned around, instinctively pulling Warren behind her as if to shield him. Lash leaned against the doorway, holding his right arm against his stomach, bandaged and still burned. Ivy shook her head and opened to her mouth to correct herself, but Lash stopped her. "Yeah, we were real close friends homecoming night."

Ivy stood staring at Lash, face slowly turning red with embarrassment and anger, and a feel of shame caught in her throat.

"You can come by and get your stuff tonight. Otherwise I'm dumping it." He hobbled past them, and Ivy made no attempt to stop him. She stood where he left her, shocked and upset that he could be so cruel without giving her a chance to explain.

Long after Lash had left, Ivy still stayed where she was. It was only when Warren spoke to her that she realized she hadn't moved in minutes.

"Anything else you wanna tell me?" Ivy took a deep breath and turned to face Warren, slowly, nervously, afraid to see the look of disappointment and sure disgust on his face, but when she finally drew the courage to look at his face and into his eyes, she saw none of what she thought. She shook her head slowly, confused by his reaction. "Good. Let's go get your stuff."

He started to walk towards the exit or the school, and he was halfway down the hall when he realized she hadn't followed. He turned around to look at her.

"That's it? You aren't going to--" She was cut off.

"No. We're going to miss the last bus." He waited for her to pick up her bag and catch up with him before continuing down the hallway.

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I'm sorry Miserlou!! I'm sorry! Don't kill me!!


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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It had been weeks since Save the Citizen, and since Ivy last spoke to Lash. He and Speed had returned to each others' rotten company, and once more began causing havoc and chaos around the school. Every other day it seemed, they were being locked in the detention room for unruly conduct. He ignored her and her friends in the hallway pretending they didn't exist, but if Speed went to try to pick on them for any reason, Lash stopped him, telling him it was pointless and a waste of time.

Ivy had stayed with Warren, but was beginning to miss her flat. There had been no sign of Dylan since she had practically mauled him outside the church, and she knew that he was just regrouping his strengths before coming after her again, but she still wanted to go home. Warren's home was comfortable and nice, but it wasn't hers. She had hardly spoke to Warren, and he made no attempt to be her friend. He left her in peace unless she spoke to him.

"So it's really that awkward?" Magenta stuck her lollipop back in her mouth and frowned.

"It's like, we live in the same house, we eat meals together, we use the same freaking toilet, but he won't say anything to me unless I start the conversation. I don't know what to do." Ivy shook her head and exchanged a few books.

"Have you tried talking to him about it? Maybe he's just nervous." Magenta shrugged.

"No. He isn't nervous. He's just being a dick." Ivy slammed her locker door shut and growled in anger.

"Whoa, Miss Kitty. Calm down, dang."

"Hey, Zach." Ivy mumbled and shoved her books into her bag. She adjusted her long gloves and sighed as the three of them started on their way to the cafeteria. They sat at their normal table with Will and Layla, and Warren stalked in a few minutes after they had all settled down. He grabbed a bottle of cold water before coming over to the table.

"Well, I can tell you for sure that he's being himself." Magenta shrugged again at Ivy, and she just stared at Warren as he approached the table, and sat across from Will, not even paying mind to the rest.

Lash and Speed terrorized some small freshman before laughing and leaving her shaking. They laughed and joked past Ivy's table, and she turned her attention to Lash, who caught her eye and grinned maniacally. They left the lunch room, and Ivy stood. All her friends' conversations dropped to silence, and she went to the little freshman who was still sitting on the floor gathering her things. Ivy knelt down and helped her pick up all her books and pencils.

"Don't pay attention to them. They're just compensating." Ivy smiled at the girl, who looked at her confused.

"Compensating for what--" She stopped short and her eyes grew wide with horror and amusement, before she broke and giggled.

Ivy finished getting the girls things, and they stood. "Let me know if they bother you again, yeah?"

The girl nodded and smiled. "Thanks a lot. I'm Dara Cane." She held out her hand waiting for Ivy to shake it.

Ivy stared back at the girl, her eyes full of shock, her mouth gaping wide, fear and confusion crossing her face. "Cane?" Dara nodded. "Do you have a brother?"

"Yeah, Dylan. You know him?" She dropped her hand and started to put her books away.

"I, uh, I used to. A long time ago." Ivy's focus drained, and she momentarily got lost in her memories. She snapped back to reality. "So, are you a hero?"

Dara laughed. Loudly. "Definitely." Ivy raised an eyebrow. "I use cyclones to displace matter of any kind."

"Huh?" Ivy furrowed her eyebrows confused.

Dara laughed again and raised her left hand. A small gray misty cyclone appeared in her palm and grew until it was big enough to swallow her history text book she held in her right hand. It floated midair and over to the book. Engulfing the book, it shrank and eventually disappeared, taking the text with it.

"Wow. Impressive." Ivy smiled, trying not to look too shocked.

"That's not why I made hero. This is." Dara seemed cocky and sure of herself, but nevertheless, gray mist splashed onto her right hand, leaving the book behind. "I can return the object anywhere on the earths surface, and I can keep it hidden for as long as I want."

"That's some power." Ivy tried not to sound as scared as she felt. "Can you do it with anything?"

Dara nodded. "Yeah. From ants to people to construction cranes. Anything no matter the size or shape or weight."

"That's really cool. All I can do is beat people up." They both laughed.

"No, I've seen you during Save the Citizen. You're like, super-human-ninja-girl." Ivy smiled, and realized that Dara didn't know what she was, and a small sigh of relief passed over her.

"I should get back to my friends. I'll see you later, OK?" She waved to Dara and left.

Layla took a bite of her apple. "What was that about?"

Ivy sat down and shook her head in frustration and anger. "That was Dylan Canes' little sister Dara. I haven't seen her in years, I didn't know she went here, let alone was a super. She doesn't remember me, though. We only met a few times, and my hair wasn't white then. It was still strawberry blonde."

Warren's head shot up, remembering that she had told him her eyes hadn't always been gray. Confusion formed on her friends' faces, and Ivy ignored it. "Is she an Absolute, too?"

Ivy looked down the table at Warren, surprised that he actually spoke to her for once. "I don't know. Maybe. She wouldn't be parading it around if she was, so it's very possible. She didn't mention anything about Dylan or his powers, either."

"Should we be worried?" Ivy shook her head at Warren's question.

"Not yet. Just... Aware." Ivy groaned, and let her head fall onto the hard table top.

Of course that day had to be a Save the Citizen day, and Ivy truly believed it couldn't get any worse. Warren hadn't been allowed to play since his incident, and Lash had chosen not to, but Speed was in a fowl mood due to a run-in with Taylor during fifth period, and he decided to let off some steam. Speed chose Ivy as his partner mockingly, and Warren's face grew dark and angry at her calmness as she fought back the urge to hit Speed. She took off her gloves, and smiled at the fact that she hadn't used her serum. _God help me I'll burn the bastard if he so much as looks at me wrong._ She growled quietly at the idea of touching Speed at all, and watched as her buddy Trent came down into the arena. She took her time looking around the stadiums searching for an opponent, and she spotted Dara sitting with some friends on the far side from where Ivy's own friends sat.

"Stone. Opponent?" Ivy looked at Boomer as he said her name.

"Dara Cane." Ivy saw Dara's eyes shoot straight to her in shock, and the young girl smiled happily that she had been given the opportunity to play. Against _seniors_. Dara ran down to the arena and threw her gear on before Boomer even had a chance to find her name in his roster.

"A freshman? That's bold of you, Discord." Ivy stared Boomer down until he shrank a little in his seat.

"Don't. Call me that. _Tommy_." In an instant she was darker and angrier than she had been.

Boomer straightened in his seat at the sound of his name. "I am still a teacher here, and you are still a student. You will address me as Coach Boomer. Understand, Discord?" He stood in his chair, towering over her, but she paid his stance no mind.

"Call me Discord one more time." Her eyes grew wide and dark, and her pupils split white. "I _dare_ you."

Boomer chose to ignore her challenge, and blew his whistle immediately. "_Battle!"_

Ivy whipped herself back around to see electricity spark around Trent, the lights overhead dim, and a small gray misty cyclone grow bigger and bigger in Dara's hand. Trent shot electric bolts at Speed, who ran and circled Dara, cutting off the concentration it took to create her cyclone. Ivy folded the light inward to block Trent's' powers, then turned her attention to Dara who was being circled by Speed at a dangerously fast rate. Dara luckily managed to create a cyclone big enough to transport Speed before her oxygen was cut s off completely. She encased him in her swirling mists and air and let the cyclone shrink around him until it was gone. She turned to Ivy and smiled, _She looks almost as crazy as Dylan._

Ivy ran towards Dara hands flexed and open, dodging the path of the multiple cyclones that were following and attacking her. Ivy got within twenty feet of the freshman, and leapt towards her arms and head first, mimicking her cat counter-parts' leaps. She switched her leap mid-air, so her feet crashed into the young girl, her upper body repositioning itself as an after affect of the force. She pinned Dara down with her feet on the girls hands and her knees on Dara's biceps.

A burst of electricity hit Ivy on her left, and she was thrown back, slamming into the Plexiglas sideboards, and falling onto her left wrist, screaming in pain as she felt it pop and possibly break. With Speed still in Limbo, Ivy was left alone to keep the citizen out of the Heroes' hands. And with a possibly broken wrist, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to. Ivy struggled to sit up, fighting her way to her feet, and she staggered over to Dara and Trent, who had both turned their backs on the fallen villain. Ivy grabbed Trent's hand as he was building another bolt from the little light in the gym, and he screamed and writhed in pain as smoke emitted from her grasp. She let go of his reddened hand, knowing it was just enough that he was shocked and hurting, but not enough to burn him permanently. Ivy slammed a foot into the back of Dara's shins before she had a chance to see what happened to her screaming partner, but Ivy was too late. A cyclone had ripped through the gym, and devoured the citizen. Dara dropped to the ground from the kick, and the buzzer rang.

The students were silent in confusion and anticipation, and two clouds of mist appeared above head dropping both Speed and the citizen onto the hard gym floor.

"Heroes win!" Boomer bellowed and the room shook, but the students cheered and rushed into the gym to send their congratulations to the victors.

Dara regained her steadiness and stood to face Ivy who swayed back and forth, slowly losing consciousness because of her wrists pain, and Trent clutched his hand tight against his body.

"You OK?" Dara's face slowly became less defined, and was lost in a swirl of chaos, noise and a sea of faces in shades of gray.

"Ivy, what'd you do to me?" Trent's voice was hysteric, and Ivy turned to see his shocked and pained face before she felt her legs give way beneath her, and she collapsed to the floor. Her eyes would not open, not matter how hard she tried, and her voice cracked when she tried to speak.

"Move!" A growling voice came closer, and she knew Warren was there.

Someone tried to lift her, but jumped back and screamed. "Shit!" Ivy knew Lash's voice, and she wanted nothing more than to apologize for having unintentionally burned him, but her voice still did not obey her will.

She felt warm, almost hot hands and arms wrap around her, and lift her. Her left wrist pressed into Warren's chest, and her voice erupted in a scream mangled with a snarl and eyes flew open, glowing and burning with the pain from her wrist.

"What's happening to her?" Dara's voice shook and grew nervous. A shriek escaped her voice, and Ivy saw from the corner of her eye Dara stumbled back into Trent who stood behind her, and she fell backwards onto him, face clouded with fear.

Ivy managed to look down at her body and saw her hands had grown and lengthened, but remained human. She knew that her abnormally large limbs were not what Dara was scared of, and continued to search down her skin for the thing that frightened Dylan's sister. When she found nothing out of place, she reached her right hand up to her face, and explored her features. Her ears had grown and pointed more than they should have been for a human, and her teeth had begun to fold and take their feline form. She felt the bridge of her nose broaden, and she knew her pupils had split more, and her irises darkened. She turned her head towards Warren's chest, burying her face from her peers, and she heard Boomer tell Warren to rush her to Nurse Spex. Boomer's voice was wary and little, but she knew he was trying not to let his fear show, and she commended his efforts.

Warren pulled Ivy's body closer to his, and he straightened his back before exiting the gym with a trail of people behind him. By their scents, she recognized Will, Layla, Zach, Magenta, Taylor, Lash, Trent, Dara, and even Speed. Warren burst into the nurses offices, and lay Ivy on the exam table, where she curled into a ball away from all the pairs of human eyes that were staring at her. Warren herded them all out into the hall when the nurse came in, and even through the thick door and windows, Ivy heard Layla volunteer to get Principal Powers.

"Here, dear. I need you to look at me, OK?" Nurse Spex's voice was calm and kind, but Ivy shook her head in fear of the nurses expression for when she did turn over. "Please, sweetie. I can't help you if I can't see you." Ivy felt the nurse smile, but still she resisted. The nurse put her medical-gloved hand on Ivy's shoulder comfortingly, and Ivy knew she had to do as she was bid.

"What happened to her? Is she OK?" Dara asked too many questions for anyone's liking, and Warren could only take so much.

"Be quiet, freshman." He snapped his head in her direction and growled the cold words at her, before he saw her take a step back in fear. He returned his stare to the window of the nurses office.

Lash walked up beside Warren, and stared into the window with him. "She'll be fine. She's strong." He spoke quietly so that only Warren could hear his voice, and Warren nodded solemnly. Layla returned with Principal Powers, and everyone sat silently in the hallway for over an hour until the nurse came out, closing the door quietly behind her.

"She's resting. Everything returned to their normal state, but she's still scared and worried. She says she doesn't know why she changed, and that it's never happened from pain." All were silent. Nurse Spex hesitated a moment before continuing. "Has she injured that wrist before?"

Will and Magenta both looked at Warren, who spoke. "Yeah. A few months ago she had a run-in with some guy and she sprained it. Why?"

The nurse shook her head. "She said the same, but even so, breaking an already injured wrist shouldn't have been as painful as she says it was. It makes me think that--" She stopped short and looked at the principal. "Maybe we should speak alone, Evelyn."

Principal Powers' face dropped into worry and something that was almost anger, and she glanced towards the window behind the nurse before nodding her head.

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Next chapter should be up shortly! Happy New Years everyone!! =)


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Evelyn stared out her office's window onto the campus beneath her. She watched the students laughing and joking, and she felt her gut sink.

"So I might never be able to turn into my Absolute again?" Ivy's voice was hard, but it was not outrightly angry.

Evelyn turned her back to the window before responding. "Nurse Spex doesn't know for certain. She says the the damage to your wrist last time was more than just a sprain. It was a minor break and some of the tissue was torn, and since it wasn't healed properly it grew back incorrectly. Now that's broken again, she's going to help it heal correctly. If it doesn't, we don't know if you'll be able to turn. We don't know how serious the injury is, or if it even has any effect on the transformation. We won't know anything until you're healed." She walked over to Ivy, and knelt down beside her niece, carefully placing a hand on Ivy's white satin glove. "We'll figure this out. Together."

"I've changed since then, though." Ivy fought her flustered voice.

"There are too many questions right now. It will all be answered in due time." Evelyn didn't know how to answer anything, she merely wanted Ivy to heal.

Ivy nodded, but said nothing. She continued to stare at the cast and bandages on her wrist, small, angry tears welling in the corners of her sad gray eyes.

Evelyn watched Ivy for a moment before standing. "You should get back--" Ivy stood and left before her aunt could finish her sentence.

She trudged through the crowds, ignoring the few stares and occasional whispers. She went to her locker, and struggled opening it. She stared through her black and white and gray vision and couldn't make herself read a single word on the spines of her books. All the letters blurred together, and there was nothing distinguishing about her science book as opposed to her math book. She watched as the words swirled and created a vortex in her mind, slowly devouring and engulfing all the words, until the books were textless and meaningless. Ivy slammed her locker shut before she could return her sight and thoughts to a normal state, and she pushed past the crowds into her first class.

She didn't take a single note, let alone hear a single word uttered by her teacher. She felt locked inside the same silence she had willingly held for almost three years, but she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to come out of it again. Her Absolute was part of her. It _was_ her. What would she be if she couldn't turn into her feline counterpart? She hardly noticed the class had ended and she forced herself up from her seat, and into the sea of nameless faces that she couldn't make herself care less about.

Ivy went through all her morning classes in the same manner; distant, aloof, cold, and a stranger to the people she normally conversed with. She would sit in her window-seat, stare at the gray trees, gray sky, gray grass, gray birds, gray life, and grieve and mourn the loss of something she hadn't lost yet. Not a single person attempted to speak to her.

When the lunch bell rang, she solemnly entered the hallway, and dragged her feet to the cafeteria. Ignoring her friends, she got a bottle of water and left.

"Someone should go talk to her." Magenta watched sadly as their friend exited the room.

"She's right, yo. That girl is messed, man. We gotta do somethin' to brighten her life up." Zach shook his head in sympathy.

Layla began to gather her things. "I'll go see if I can talk to her." Taylor grabbed Layla's elbow, and shoved her back in her seat. "Ow! What was that for?" She rubbed her elbow, and followed Taylor's stare across the table at Warren, who sat reading his graphic novel, as normal.

"Go." Taylor crossed her arms.

Warren, unaware she was speaking to him, continued to read, until a pair of nicely manicured nails shut his comic on his hands, and froze it solid. _Then_ he looked up. "I was reading that."

"Go." Taylor repeated, knowing he hadn't heard the first part of the conversation. "Go talk to her."

"Who now?" Warren raised his eyebrows in confusion and shook his head slightly.

"Ivy." Warren's expression dropped from confusion to fear and worry. "She needs someone to talk to, and you're the chosen one." He maintained his position, sitting and staring. "Get your ass up, and go find her." Taylor unfroze his book, and sat back, slouching over in a highly intimidating manner.

Warren didn't respond, but tucked his book into his bag and left the table. His first thought of where to search had been the gym, but he couldn't understand why she would go there of all the places in the school. He made his way there in good time, and stopped just short of opening the door, when he saw through the small windows Ivy standing in the center of the floor. She had removed her shoes and socks, sweatshirt and gloves. She stood, statue-still with her back to the doors, staring at Warren-wasn't-sure-what.

He stood at the doorway, and slowly and quietly opened the door to go inside. He leaned against the wall just inside the door, and watched Ivy take a bow, the way one would when being trained in martial arts. She took a fighting stance, and calmly began routine exercises, that soon turned into full on combat maneuvers. She stayed past the end of the lunch period, and Warren stayed watching her. He wasn't certain if he stayed to keep an eye on her, to talk to her when she was finished, or because he enjoyed watching her white hair and skin dance about against the black t-shirt and velor pants she was wearing. It was strangely poetic to him, and he couldn't seem to take pry his eyes away from the scene. Not until she turned around and saw him watching.

He felt his face flush a bright red, and scurried for the door, but as he reached his hand out to open the door, a shoe hit the exact spot his hand had been aimed for. He stopped and fearfully turned to see her standing exactly as she had when he had first come in, but facing him. He picked up her shoe and slowly, cautiously, walked towards her. He put it next to her other sneaker, and began backing away. He stopped when she turned and walked towards the Save the Citizen Control Room on the far end of the gym, opposite the entrance. She turned the knob and disappeared inside the room. Warren jumped when the floor opened and physical combat training equipment sprung from it. There were over fifteen human shaped dummies and boxing punching bags being held in a Hangman type position, and multiple sets of parallel and uneven bars that gymnasts use.

Ivy returned with a large white mat, and she dumped it in the center of the floor, moving all her belongings to the side. She unrolled the mat and Warren assumed he was supposed to take off his shoes and socks as well. He put them and his leather jacket near hers on the bleachers, and went back to the white mat. She bowed, and he mimicked her, though not as confidently. She drew her right leg back and bent her knees. She pulled her right elbow back until it was behind her shoulder, and she outstretched her left arm at shoulder height, keeping it slightly bent.

"What about your wrist?" Warren continued to stand as he had, until she threw her right foot up, kicking him in the side of his face, causing him to stumble back. He straightened his posture, shook his head trying to wipe off the pain and burning, and he returned to mimic her stance.

Warren stared at the girl before him for a few minutes, seeing that she was completely still. He could hardly tell she was breathing. He launched at her with his left fist, and she ducked and punched him in the stomach, pushing him back a few feet and making him land on his bottom. He got right back up and resumed his position. He attacked again with his right fist, and she deflected the shot, kicking him with her left foot twice in his side, and a third time under his chin throwing his head back, and making him stumble but not fall.

He was persistent, and came back again. He drew his left fist back again and when he shot it at her, she caught it in her own hand, and shook her head. She let go of his fist, and he dropped it to his side, standing straight. She walked to stand beside him, and took her starting position, so he could see it and copy it with her facing the same way, instead of trying to reverse it from across the mat. He stood for a moment looking at the soft white hair in front of him before pulling himself back to reality. He drew his right foot back, and bent his knees, then took a moment to study her arms. She glanced back and saw him place his arms, and she dropped her stance immediately and turned to him.

She simply stood and looked at him, and when he turned his head to look at her, she pushed his chin so he would face forward again. She walked to stand behind him, and pulled his right elbow back farther and higher. When she was satisfied, she moved her attention to his back, and ran her hand up his spin. He straightened it instantly at the light touch, and tried not to smile at the slight tickle. She squatted down and tapped his foot. He looked down at her, and she patted the mat about half a foot behind him. He adjusted his foot, and she stood again. She pulled his left arm away from his body straightening his elbow a little more, and repositioned his left knee so it was more bent.

Ivy then returned to her side of the mat, and took her own position. Warren stared straight into her eyes, and realized that she was trying to teach him patience. She hadn't attacked him, she had waited for him to attack her first. He knew she was strong and a good fighter, but hadn't known that she was trained in martial arts. He continued to watch her, but never made a single move. He wasn't sure how much time had passed until the bell rang, signaling the end of class, and Ivy dropped her position, bowed, and sprinted to the Control Room. All the equipment returned to its place beneath the planks of wood, and Ivy came back. She puller her Puma sneakers on as Warren replaced and buckled his boots. She picked up her bag and gloves and headed for the door, not looking at Warren once. The gym doors swung closed, and Warren remained standing in the gym.

After school had finished Warren and their friends met Ivy at the buses. She kept her gaze locked on the ground, and ignored their every word. When she and Warren got to their stop, she left the bus first, and went straight to the room she'd been staying in. She gathered all her belongings, and loaded them immediately into her Jeep. Warren stood leaning against the door frame as she made sure she had all her things.

He walked down his front steps, and to her car. "Are you sure you want to go back to your apartment?" She put her seat back up and climbed inside. "Your room will still be here if you change your mind." He backed up when she reached to shut her door, and she drove off in the direction of her apartment building.

Ivy pulled into the parking garage, and lugged her bag into the building. When she reached her studio, she went right into her room, dropped her bag, and collapsed onto her big bed. She didn't bother taking her shoes off, she just crawled right into her bed, careful not to lay down on her left arm.

The next morning her arm was fully functional again, but she'd been instructed not to use it until further notified, so she showered and dressed one-handed, and struggled to replace her bandages. Straight dark jeans, and a black long sleeved shirt fit her mood perfectly. She didn't feel special or pretty. Just plain. She ignored her hair, letting it air-dry with its slight crimp, and she remembered when it used to be it's vibrant strawberry blonde.

She remembered how she'd looked just like her mother, and she remembered how her feline form had taken it from her. She stared at her reflection, and a tear rolled down her cheek, bursting into its small flame on the tabletop of her dresser. She put her Puma's on again, and rummaged through her luggage bag trying to find her black sweatshirt. Instead of finding her sweatshirt, she found her serum, and held it up for an instant before throwing the box across the room in a fit of rage, with a silent scream escaping her. She gave up on that black sweatshirt, and went to her closet to get her other one. She picked up her bag, and left.

She repeated the routine that day, silence followed by more silence until lunch when she got a bottle of water and went to the gym. Warren was there waiting for her, shoes and socks already removed, and Ivy stood in shock as he bowed and took his position. She removed her own shoes and socks and went to the Control Room. Everything sprang from the floor again, and she came back to Warren, white mat in her arms. He helped her lay it down, remembering what trouble she'd had the day before only using one hand. They went through some exercises, repeating the same few moves until Warren understood and did them correctly. Ivy never let it show, but she was highly impressed by how fast a learner he was.

Their daily training went on for over a month, and Warren still hadn't told the rest of their friends where he spent his lunch periods. The all assumed he was with Ivy, but no one asked where they went, or what they did.

It had finally reached the last day before the schools' winter break. Warren met Ivy in the gym in the beginning of lunch, and saw her standing in her same spot wearing a pair of black Jujitsu robes, and holding a second pair. Warren dropped his bag on the bleachers and went to her. She held the robes out to him, a blank expression on her face. He gently took them and went to the locker rooms to change. When he returned, the training space was out, and Ivy was at a punching bag working on her right arm. Warren cleared his throat and she turned around to see him standing before her in his robes, his hair pulled back into a bun he wore for work. He bowed to her, and she bowed in return.

They sparred for a while, before she stopped to start teaching him ground work and attacks. They never noticed the bell rang, or that some sophomores that had gym fifth period come in to watch them. Warren had long since taken off the shirt, and was just in the pants, with sweat dripping off his back. When Coach Boomer finally pushed his way past the group of tenth-grade girls gawking at Warren's upper-body, he saw Warren and Ivy marking through a few floor moves. Boomer smiled quickly before telling the girls to leave the gym and return to the locker rooms.

"Peace. Stone." They stopped immediately and saw Boomer walking towards them. "Is this why neither of you have attended your fourth period classes in over a month?" They were both silent. "It's alright. I'll talk to Powers and get you both a waver so you don't have to take the classes at all."

"Why would you do that?" Warren was quite confused by Boomer's sudden generosity.

"Because. Ivy needs this more than history or whatever class she's skipping. She needs to remember her mom." He looked at her for the first time in years without fear, and she bowed her head slightly in his direction before he left them alone.

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Reviews are lovely. =)


	26. Chapter 26

WARNING: A little lemon action goin' on this scene, thought I should warn y'all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Winter break passed slowly, and Ivy spent most of her time on the rooftop of her building working on her free-form. She had slowly begun using her left hand again after Nurse Spex had given her the OK on the last day before break. There had been no sign of Dylan, and while she had seen Dara at school almost everyday in the hallways and such, she never gave the girl any indication of a "hello", let alone a glance of any kind. Ivy knew Dylan was still there, watching and waiting until the right time to strike, but she wasn't going to go looking for him. So she settled on preparing herself for the fight when it came.

She had seen Warren once, on Christmas day when he stopped by Principal Powers' home to see her. Evelyn had explained to Ivy that she had invited Warren over since his mother was in Europe until February, and she knew that they had spent a lot of time together during the last month before break. He had come with a bouquet of flowers for Evelyn, a box of Belgian chocolates for her husband, and a small red velvet box for Ivy. Evelyn and her husband left them alone for a few minutes so he could give her the box without feeling pressured or uncomfortable. They had sat in silence, staring at each other until Warren broke the silence by handing her the small box.

She was completely unsure of how to respond to his gift, partially because she hadn't spoken in quite a while, but mostly because it was perfect for her. She held up a thin silver chain with a small, round silver plate graced with a feline paw printed on it in tiny Ruby flakes. She felt her entire face drop and drain of color at the necklace. When she was finally able to tear her eyes from the piece, she looked back at Warren, who was looking slightly embarrassed by her reaction. He took the necklace from her gloved hands, and clasped it around her neck. It wasn't a long chain, so the paw hung in the center of her collar bone. He finished putting the necklace on her, and she raised her hand to touch the small paw, and she smiled at him in thanks and delight. He smiled in return, and stood to leave. Ivy heard him say goodbye to Evelyn and her husband, and she turned to see the door shut, and her aunt and her husband returned to the living room seeing the Ruby and silver paw around Ivy's neck that she still played with. Neither had said a thing, but exchanged glances, and invited Ivy to join them for dinner.

Another week had passed, and Ivy had not seen or gotten in contact with Warren, or anyone else.

The night before school began again, Ivy returned to Holy Names Cathedral, and climbed her way to the top of the bell tower. Not just the balcony, but she climbed up the side pillars and onto the very point of the roof. She was careful with her wrist and she stood in the light fog and mist wearing her mothers long, gray trench coat, Warren's paw, and a flowing white knee-length dress dancing in the high wind. She stood, and watched the city.

_Lord though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'm not scared cause You're holding my breath, I only fear that I don't have enough time left, to tell the world that there's no time left..._

She whispered for the first time in two months, and she didn't notice that she sang until after her voice rang out clear, cold, hollow and metallic, filling the silence of the winter with her anger, sadness, and desire.

_Lord I don't know what I'm struggling for, there's go to be more, than _

_this life I know, but still I'm here fighting to never give up, I find strength in Your love, and You will see me through..._

She felt her posture begin to collapse under the emotions she had surging through her, draining the light from the houses and shops beneath her, and she looked down the eighty-three feet to the ground. She knew the drop was much too far, but she ignored her better judgment and jumped down, hoping that she wouldn't break anything else. She hit the ground crouching with her left foot and right hand flat against the earth, and felt the earth shake and crack beneath her. She smiled at her jump, and pushed through the invisible weights above her to her full height of five foot eleven with her combat-esque boots.

She exited through the church's gate to the street and slowly released the light back into its sources. She walked past Lash's home, seeing him and his father in the living room through the small window by the door. She walked through the town and found her way to Warrens'. She stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to his front door, and she stared at the white door. She barely thought about it a moment before she was walking up the steps, knocking on his door. She knew it was late, but she also knew he was awake, so she didn't spare any emotion feeling guilty for the hour. After less than a minute, Warren opened the door wearing nothing but black jeans.

"Ivy--" She walked through the threshold, and closed the door. She turned back around to look at him, and she saw the shocked look on his face. "What are you doing here?" He shook his head in confusion.

Ivy walked the few feet to the staircase, and took off her trench coat, putting it on the banister.

"Is something wrong?" Ivy shifted her focus back to Warren and saw the concern on his face. He was still standing at the door, and she returned to him. "You do know its quarter past three, right? And that we have school in a few hours?"

Ivy took a step closer to him, and she could see on his face that he couldn't read her expression. She gently traced her left hand up his well-built arm until it rested on in the side of his neck.

"You're using your hand." He gulped, and she knew he was trying to stay collected, even through his confusion.

She placed her right hand just beneath his belly-button running it up the front of his stomach to rest it on his heart. She drew her left hand down to meet her right, and she gently pushed him back the half foot until his back collided against his front door. He opened his mouth to speak again, but she stepped in so her body lay completely flat against his. She lifted her chin so her lips just barely brushed against his, and she slipped her arms up the rest of his chest until they wrapped around his neck. She felt the tingle and slight burn of her uncontained skin against his, and she felt his body heat rise to a temperature that was warm even for him. She held her lips hovering just above his for a moment longer.

Ivy watched his eyes search her face for some explanation of why she was acting this way, but when he found none he turned his dark gaze to her light one. She gently kissed the corner of his mouth, barely pressing her lips to his skin, and she slowly made a line of barely-there kisses down his jawbone to his neck. She raised her head a little more until her mouth brushed his earlobe, and she smiled at the shudder that she felt run down his spine. She just barely licked his lobe, and his temperature rose a few degrees more, and he gulped again as his hands found her hips. She licked up the side of his ear, and his grip on her hips tightened, and his body tensed.

She kept her face close to his skin as her mouth re-found his and lingered there again. Warren stood patiently as he watched her eyes begin to look over his face. She rested her gaze on his hair, and brushed a stray strand back behind his ear, and wrapped her hand in the rest. He, in return, wrapped one arm around her lower back, lifting her off the floor, while the other hand held her smooth thigh as he turned them around so his body was pressing hers hard against the door. She let a devilish grin creep up on her lips as he took his time taking the control from her and kissing her neck softly. Warren pressed his body against Ivy's even more, and moved his face back in front of hers. He wrapped his right arm around her even tighter, and slid his left hand farther up the outside of her thigh before lifting her off the door, and simply standing there holding her, with as much effort as it took to hold a child.

Slowly Warren began to walk towards the staircase, neither of them paying attention to anything but each other. He carried her up the stairs and down the hallway until they got to his room. His stereo was still playing, Massive Attack echoed and pounded through the speakers in every corner of his room. Ivy never let her eyes leave Warrens', so she never noticed that his room was no longer covered in posters, but it was painted a dark crimson. He reached his foot back and pushed the door closed behind them. He carefully made his way across his room to his bed, and bent to lay her down. He hovered above her for a moment, before he gently moved his right arm out from under her, and up the side of her body to find the dress' zipper.

They stayed staring at each other, while he unzipped her white dress, and slid the straps off her shoulders.

Ivy softly brushed her fingers down his spine, and he momentarily shut his eyes trying not to shiver under the light touch. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a pleased look, and he moved his body so he was directly above her, instead of being to the side. He reached down her legs and untied her boots, tossing them onto the floor. He pulled himself back up so their faces met again, and she entangled her fingers in his front belt loops and pulled his body closer to hers.

She smiled as he let his weight rest on her body, and she put her lips just beyond his, until she saw the impatience and desire grow on his face. She ran her fingers just above the line of his boxers, and his body grew warmer still.

He pressed his lips the slightest bit closer to hers, before she felt her own impatience grow and crack. She lay a small, soft kiss on his bottom lip, and he cupped her cheek in the palm of his right hand, and wrapped the tips of his fingers in her hair. Their eyelids grew heavy, and they both broke their stare as Ivy kissed him for the first time.

She felt a flare of heat and energy run through her body chasing all her problems into oblivion. Her soft kiss was held for a moment, before Warren ran his hand through her hair to the back of her head and pulled her deeper into it. Ivy wrapped her arms around his back, pulling down on his shoulder blades to hold him closer. She slowly ran her left foot gently up his leg, and Warren's right hand found her smooth thigh again, tightening his fingers around the soft skin. She pulled herself away from his kiss for a moment to look at him.

Again she searched his face, but before she could find his eyes again she felt a soft bite just above her collar bone, causing her to involuntarily pierce his skin with her nails. Warren jerked away from her immediately, thinking he'd hurt her, but when he looked at her face, he saw the ocean staring back at him. Every shade of blue and green trickling through her eyes, mixing together creating a color he'd never seen before.

Lost in the colors, Warren almost forgot where he was, and what he was doing. Almost until Ivy gently ran her nails down the center of his back, causing him to shiver and regain his awareness. Tearing himself from her stare, he closed his eyes and kissed her again. He carved a trail of kisses down her neck to her breastbone, and Ivy felt fire surround and encase her. Her ocean eyes flew open and she saw her white flames all around them, but not touching anything else. Warren brought his mouth back to hers, and she lost sight of her fire, and only saw him.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Still with the not owning Sky High.

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Ivy didn't sleep that night. She left Warren's after she knew he was asleep, and she returned to her own home. She stood in front of her mirror staring at her eyes for hours. Watching the colors swim in and out of each other occasionally fading to back to silver. The colors were thick, and rich. They were fluid and moved with ease, instead of the fast, thin pace that water held. Although their color had returned the pupils remained split and abnormally dark, with their white outline. The colors slid in and out of each other, the way snakes in a pit do.

Overlapping, entangling, confusing the ends of the lines until it's just a blur. A mass of colors that has no distinct beginning or end. For what seemed like hours Ivy stood staring at her eyes. How she had missed seeing color in light. When she finally willed herself to move from the mirror, her phone rang, her alarm went off, and the wind and rain knocked the vines that grew around the fire escape against her window.

Warren had woken up to an empty, cold bed. No note, no nothing. She was just gone. He searched his entire house to see if maybe she had just gone downstairs, but when he found nothing, he called her cell phone. Once. Twice. Three times. She never answered. He texted her. He emailed her. He tried in every way to get in contact with her, and he got no response. Normally, he knew he'd be angry that she was ignoring him, and dejecting his phone calls, but he also knew that should she want to talk or contact him, she knew how. So he settled on showering sullenly, trying not to pout, and failing miserably.

Ivy searched through her clothes, knowing that she still had blue and green hidden somewhere. Her eyes continued to fade in and out of their ocean state and the silver state. She had noticed after her shower that the silver had begun to bleed into the ocean and had become part of the swirling chaos; a thin strand of silver here, a speck of dark gray there. She smiled at the new form her eyes began to accept, and returned to her search for her colors. Dark blue skinny jeans, her infamous black heeled boots, and a short-sleeved turtle-neck; dark turquoise with thick black stitching, a form-fitting piece that accented her newly recovered eyes.

Warren didn't feel like black. He didn't feel dark and depressed. He felt... He wasn't sure. But it wasn't sad. He pulled on one of the two pairs of dark navy jeans with his combat boots, with a white t-shirt to wear under a black, short-sleeved button down, that he of course didn't button. He wore his leather jacket, and debated whether or not to pull his hair back. Figuring the rain wouldn't let it stay back for very long, he gave up and let it stay down. Checking the time, he grabbed his school bag and darted out the door.

Ivy grabbed a longer black pea-coat. It had a large hood that she pulled up instinctively as she left her apartment. Standing at the bus stop in the rain, she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and pulled her hood over her head farther. Seeing the bus round the corner, she sighed, thankful that she could escape the heavy rain. She loved the rain, but only when she was willingly being drenched. Not so much when it was out of her control. She stared at the dark clouds and sky, and decided that that was not how she wanted to spend her first color-filled day in years. She looked up through the window, and pulled as much light from the sky as she could, brightening it, making it glow a soft blue with gray dispersed throughout the clouds.

Warren stood by his locker with Layla and Magenta as they talked about their holiday breaks and how neither of them understood why the group hadn't gotten together at all. Trent and Taylor walked by on their way to class and stopped to say hello. Lash had finally come down off his high horse, and had begun to talk to Layla again, not much, but it was better than nothing. He and Speed made their own way over, and Taylor and Speed hugged and kissed; apparently they'd made amends over the break and all was forgiven. Warren raised an eyebrow at them, but didn't say anything. He turned his attention to Lash who was talking to Trent about some new video game that had come out, and when Lash noticed that Warren was looking at him, he paused the conversation and took a few steps over to the pyro.

"I, uh, I've been trying to find a good way to apologize for--" He gestured down to Lash's arm, which was still in bandages.

Lash smiled at Warren. "Don't even worry about it."

Warren cocked his head sideways in confusion, but Lash merely extended his good hand out towards him. He smirked and grabbed the lanky arm in a hand-to-wrist shake.

Will and Zack were the last of the group to arrive going straight to their respective girlfriends. They all stood and talked telling hilarious stories about New Years Eve, and whatever holiday they celebrated. Zach asked Warren what he did on Christmas after everyone else had shared their plans, and Warren felt his face pale a little.

"Nothing." He gulped hard, but no one seemed to notice. "My mom's in Germany for a little longer."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Warren! You should have called me! I'm sure my parents wouldn't have minded if you came over." Layla smiled cheerfully.

"It's raining cats and dogs, and she's still as happy as a clown." Trent laughed at Layla's fallen, pouty expression.

"Speaking of cats." Speed nodded his head in Ivy's direction as she walked down the hallway.

Her hood was down, but her face was lowered to the ground. Her coat was buttoned at the very top, but even so, Warren saw the Ruby paw around her neck. He made no move to go towards her, as she obviously wasn't changing her daily routine. Her locker was just down the hall from Warren's, so when she stopped to take off the coat, they all noticed she was using her left wrist.

Taylor's entire face lit up at the sight and she ran down the hall to Ivy. "You're using your wrist! How does it feel? Is it doing OK? That's so good, Ivy!" Ivy ignored her, and shoved the coat into the small locker. She slammed it shut and readjusted her black wrist guards. When Ivy finally looked up, she didn't look at the blonde in front of her. Her stare hit Dara Cane, who was standing but a few feet from Ivy at her own locker, just across the hall. Dara closed her locker, and turned to leave with her friends, when she saw Ivy staring at her. Dara's eyes grew wide in shock for a moment, before turning to a pleasant smile and waving, not noticing that Ivy's eyes were different.

In color, Ivy could see how much Dara looked like her brother. The same black hair, but with light chestnut eyes instead of green. Dara made her way down the hall with her friends in Warren's direction, and when Ivy's eyes landed on Warren's, she felt her breath catch and momentarily stop.

Warren saw her from down the hall, and even being so far away, he could see her eyes were pools of shimmering aquatic colors. He remembered her staring up at him with those eyes. And he remembered the white fire that he had seen from the corners of his own eyes. He rubbed his left shoulder gently, massaging the claw marks she'd left sometime the night before.

Ivy reached up and stroked her paw with her thumb and forefinger before leaving Taylor standing by her locker. Taylor shook her head and returned to the group.

"Anything?" Will looked falsely hopeful.

"Did it look like she said anything?" Taylor's expression had fallen to discontent and upset.

Warren reached up to unzip his jacket, so he could take it off and let it air dry from the rain. He had tried drying it himself once. Didn't care to risk it again. He hung it inside his locker as much as he could before coming back to the conversation his friends were having behind him. He turned around to face them, and all conversation stopped immediately, all eyes watching him.

"Warren." Magenta looked like she were about to die from holding in laughter.

"Rat." He looked back at her.

"White." She bit her lip to keep from smiling, and Warren momentarily remembered how Ivy used to do that.

"Purple." He stared at her.

"You." She stopped biting her lip, and let a huge smile cross her face.

"Me." He picked his bag off the floor. "See you guys later."

He left the group, who was still standing in awe at the site of Warren Peace in white and not at work.

Ivy's first few classes passed faster than she expected, and before she realized, she was entering her third period class. She hadn't used her serum in the morning, and she hadn't worn gloves, either, so the day had been quite interesting navigating the halls during passing periods. Almost burned more than her share of people. She took a seat in her class, and right as the bell rang, Principal Powers opened the door, and spoke to the teacher for a moment. Worry passed over Mr. Anu's face, but then he nodded. Powers called for Ivy to get her bag and follow. She brought Ivy to the gym, where her English teacher Jamie Esther stood, dressed in black Jujitsu robes. The combat arena had been pulled out, and Evelyn handed Ivy her own robes to change into. Ivy had been careful to avoid looking at her aunt, and she had no intention of changing it. Less than five minutes later Ivy emerged in her robes. She stood on the mat with Jamie, who was wearing a pair of gloves and a long sleeved shirt under the robes, just in case.

"You'll be training in here with Jamie during third period from now until we decide your back to full strength." Ivy nodded, not lifting her eyes from the floor. Jamie raised an eyebrow at Evelyn, who shrugged in confusion, before focusing her attention back on Ivy.

"I assume you still remember the basics, since you've been teaching Mr. Peace?" Ivy nodded again. "Have you used your left wrist at all? Even in the slightest way during simulations with him?" Ivy shook her head. "During simulations on your own?" Ivy hesitated before nodded a bit. Jamie nodded an "OK."

"It's OK to be scared, Ivy. You don't need to worry. We're going to fix this." Evelyn forced a smile at her niece.

Ivy lifted her eyes off the floor to look at the Principal. She felt anger growing in the pit of her stomach. _I am not scared._ _I can't afford to scared._

Evelyn and Jamie both gasped seeing Ivy's swirling eyes stare back at them. "Ivy... Your eyes. They're not gray anymore." Evelyn struggled to find something to say, and settled for stating the obvious. Ivy continued to watch them as they stared in shock at her. Jamie could see that they were making Ivy uncomfortable, and that she was feeling like she was part of a circus. _Come one, come all. Come see the freak._ She growled under her breath, and Jamie put her hand on Evelyn's shoulder.

"We should start, Evelyn." Jamie smiled at Ivy, who was visibly relieved.

"Oh, of course, of course." Principal Powers shook her head slightly before looking back at Ivy. "You'll continue to be allowed in here during fourth period, if you want. If not, take that period as a free period." She looked at Jamie, who had a mirroring expression of Evelyn's worried frown, and they exchanged silent "Be carefuls" and "farewells".

Evelyn left the gym, and Jamie smiled at Ivy. A genuine, pure smile. "Let's start."

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See, Miser! Warren grew up a little! Maybe? =\

Review it?


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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The lunch bell rang, and Jamie dismissed Ivy from their session. She changed out of her robes, and tied her straight white hair into a high ponytail. By the time she got back to the hallways, they were practically deserted, everyone having already gotten to the cafeteria.

She wandered the halls, taking her time while trying not to stretch her muscles too much more; she knew she'd be sore in the morning. Ivy finally reached the cafeteria and saw her friends at their normal table, Taylor, Speed, Lash and Trent had all joined them, and Dara had even come over to say hello. She watched as Dara flirtatiously talked to Warren, who didn't seem to respond. Ivy continued to stand by the door until Dara waved goodbye and returned to her own friends. She took a deep breath, before cautiously walking over to her friends table. She knew she couldn't stay as anti-social as she had been, but she also wasn't sure she was ready to speak again. Ivy lowered her eyes to the floor as she approached the table, forgetting her eyes had changed back, but because she wasn't sure she could look Warren in face just yet.

"Ivy." Layla smiled. "Did you wanna sit down?" She looked at Ivy, who barely nodded, but made no move to sit.

She took a deep breath, didn't let it go, and raised her eyes to look at Warren, who had been reading his graphic novel the entire time, unaware that she was really only there to see him. No one could see the change in her eyes from the angle at which she stood over, which she had purposely done, so she felt safe looking at him in front of them. She watched him read for a split second before she hesitantly raised her fingertips to rest on his shoulder. He froze solid, practically stopping breathing, and slowly looked up at her.

When his eyes met her, everyone saw his face pale, and he stood up, wrapping his hands around each of her shoulders. She shrunk a little in his grasp, knowing that he was shocked.

"They stayed-- But--" He realized he must have been hurting her, and he slid his hands down her arms until they reached her hands. He stood holding them for a moment before looking down and seeing a small white spark fly from her skin. She pulled her hands from his quickly, and he didn't try to take them again. She clasped her hands behind her back and looked up at him again. "Here, sit down." He moved aside so she could slide in next to Layla, who had moved down to make room for her.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. There was so much she wanted to tell them all, but she couldn't even squeak. She shook her head in frustration, and she put her hand back in Warrens, squeezing it. Then he noticed the burning heat of her natural skin against his. "Oh." He stopped short. "Well, here." He sat back down next to Layla, leaving plenty of room for Ivy to sit on the end. She sat down next to him, her head fallen again, and she forced herself to look up at him and smile her thanks.

Layla gasped as she watched Ivy look up at Warren. "Oh my... Ivy!" Ivy's eyes shot from Warren's to Layla's right behind him. She felt her face grow pink, and she looked back to Warren for help, knowing that he couldn't give it since he had no answers either. Ivy opened her mouth to try to speak again when Dara bounced back over to the table.

"There you are!" Ivy whipped her head around to see Dara standing over her. "I already invited them, but I'm having a party thing at my house this weekend and you should…totally…come… Do I know you?" Her face turned from bubbly and bright to perplexed as she stared into Ivy's newly regained eyes. Ivy shook her head nervously, knowing that it probably just helped Dara to think harder and figure it out. "Wait. Ivy." Dara frowned more, looked at the ground, popped her hip out and placed a hand on it in thought. "Ivy. Ivy Stone. Dyl's friend, Ivy." She looked back up at Ivy, who had grown more pale than she was naturally. "Dylan said he saw you a few months ago." She stopped. "You're a cat. I've seen you in Save the Citizen. You're that big white cat. He said he saw you around the same time that he started coming home with..." Her voice trailed off. Ivy watched the realizations dawn on her, and the anger flare in her eyes. Dara reached out, grabbing Ivy's throat. "My brother almost died because of you!" She tossed Ivy to the floor, ignoring the burn she'd acquired on her hand.

Warren flew after Ivy, who became a crumpled mess on the floor, landing on her newly healed wrist. Dara pushed Warren away from Ivy as hard as she could. "You almost killed him!" She picked Ivy up and stared into her eyes.

Ivy didn't make any move to defend herself as Dara threw her down again. She was strong for a freshman. _Too strong._ Ivy looked up at Dara, who was beginning to fold her skin inside itself. Students were screaming and running to get help, and her friends had all come to stand by her, while Will helped Warren up. Ivy struggled to get to her feet to stare at the Absolute in front of her.

Ivy watched Dara carefully. Her transformation was slow, and Ivy assumed she had only recently discovered her form. Warren grabbed Ivy's wrist to pull her back away from the changing girl, but Ivy didn't move.

In a matter of minutes, Dara was gone, and an absurdly large African Wild Dog stood in her place, hackles standing on end, snarling and snapping its jaws at Ivy. Ivy remembered when she first changed forms. She remembered how wild her counterpart had been. She remembered all the chaos and mayhem she's caused. She remembered why she'd been given the name Discord. She knew that Dara would be just as bad as she had been, if not worse. Ivy took a step back from the dog, and it, in turn, took two forward towards Ivy. Principal Powers along with the rest of Sky High's staff came barging and banging through the doors. Powers barely stopped herself from shrieking upon seeing the dog that was ready to eat her niece.

"Ivy. We need to get out of here." Warren didn't move, but spoke quietly and slowly so the dog wouldn't get nervous and attack.

Ivy ignored Warren, and began to back up again. He didn't understand that Ivy wasn't listening to him, however; she was merely trying to lead Dara's Absolute away from the huddled crowd of students behind her. The students quickly caught on, and as smoothly as they could, they moved back behind the Absolute, who was paying no attention to any of them. Its focus and attention was solely for Ivy. They continued their trek until Ivy hit one of the walls. The Absolute slowly began to circle around Ivy until it had cornered her to a place she couldn't escape from. Ivy knew that as her human form she couldn't stand against Dara's dog form, especially because it was more than likely that the dog was running on adrenaline, anger, and... _Fear_._ She doesn't understand what's happening. Why she can't control it. I remember. _Ivy slowly bent towards her feet, unzipping her boots. She was careful not to make any sudden movements while cornered by the large canine. She placed her boots off to the side, and went to remove her shirt next.

The dog didn't move, but watched her and continued to snarl and snap. It licked its lips, and Ivy knew she didn't have much time left before the dog attacked her. She dropped her shirt onto her boots and went for her pants next. She slid them off, fully aware that even being cornered by the big dog, the entire student and teacher body could see her. Only her close friends and some of the teachers were aware that her transformation ripped her clothes, so to the rest of the school, she was just stripping the face of death. She stood back against the corner in her bra and boy shorts, suddenly very thankful she hadn't worn a thong. She took a deep breath, and felt the familiar ripple play under her skin. She was still unsure if she'd actually be able to change, but she figured it was worth a shot anyway. The only time Ivy had ever changed forms in front of someone had been in front of Warren, and she'd fought long and hard to forget it. She didn't want people to see it, fearing that it was sickening and that they would think she was a freak. _If they were gonna think I was a freak, they probably would by now._

She let the ripple encompass her, and her skin grew warm and started to move, reform, and fold under and outside itself. Somewhere in the midst of the heat and aching she had closed her eyes. When she reopened them, her vision was black and white and gray, and the cat's head moved down to look at its bright white paws. She knew the cat was smiling at being out and able to form, but more than knowing it, she felt it and did it too. She felt the cold linoleum on the pads of the cats' paws, and she felt the cats' chest rumble as she snarled and growled and hissed at the painted dog in front of her. She felt her Absolute as she felt her human. They weren't separate anymore. This time she smiled, and cat mirrored her.

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Drama, drama, drama. There's always gotta be some kinda drama.

Reviews? K thanks!


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Warren, Will, Layla, Taylor and the rest helped move all the students to the back of the cafeteria while the painted dog and Ivy's white panther circled each other. Since Ivy had changed, the dog had visibly backed up, and become more timid than before. Warren quietly and quickly explained to Principal Powers what happened, and she began to help move students out of the cafeteria completely. Warren, Jamie Esther, Evelyn, and the gang stayed behind to help Ivy should anything happen, while Boomer and Medulla took control of the students and kept them safe in the gym.

Ivy and the panther smiled down at the African Wild Dog, knowing that they were bigger and much stronger than the skinny little canine. The dog seemed to have gotten smaller after the panther had emerged, but the fact remained that the dog was simply no match for Ivy when she was in Absolute form. Ivy began to back the wild dog into the same corner in which she'd been forced into just moments earlier, and once the dog was completely surrounded by walls and the panthers' massive body weight, it began to whimper and cry. The panther smiled a sick, twisted smile, and the dog attacked.

Ivy was able to see through it's false cries and grabbed the canine by its' neck, tossing it aside, much the same way she had done to Speed, way back when. The dog quickly recovered and attacked Ivy again. Warren began to notice just how similar the panther and Ivy were: never attack first, always patient. He wondered if part of Ivy had leaked into the panthers mind, and it was using the best strategies it knew. He, along with everyone else, was completely unaware that in the past three minutes, Ivy had become one with the cat completely. She was in complete control of the cat, instead of watching from afar. She made the cat move and controlled its every action.

The dog continued to launch itself at Ivy, who was slowly bloodying it, and tearing hunks of skin from its neck and sides. Dara's Absolute was wearing itself thin of energy, and because she was a newly formed Absolute, it didn't take much time to be completely bare of adrenaline. It began to take the dog more and more time to recover after being thrown aside, and finally the dog didn't stand, but lay panting and covered in rich, thick blood. The panther stalked over proudly and cautiously to the fallen dog and bent its neck down to be inches above its muzzle.

_"You can't win."_ The panther growled at the dog, who turned its head upward to stare in shock and disbelief at the panther, who had spoke human words with a hoarse, rough voice that was coated in years of chaos and bloodshed. The dog began to fade and fold back into a bleeding and weak Dara, and the panther stood over her, shielding her body from the bystanders' view.

"I'll kill you for hurting him." She shivered and whispered the words at the white panther, who continued to protect her from the humans' watchful, criticizing glares.

Ivy said nothing in response, but turned carefully, so her back was towards the small girl, still covering her naked body from their prying eyes. Blood and bits of flesh and fur still dripped from the panthers' mouth as Ivy spoke through it. "_She needs a blanket. And sugar."_ No one moved, all shocked by the scene in front of them. "_Now."_ Jamie sprinted from the room, returning moments later with multiple blankets from Nurse Spex office. When Jamie began to carefully approach the two, Ivy snarled to get her back. "_Toss them."_ She growled at a frightened Jamie, who instantly slid them across the floor. Ivy took great care in lifting the blanket so as not to get too much extra blood on it. She tossed it over Dara, who still shivered and remained a sickly shade of pale. Dara could not move, and did not try.

Ivy dragged one of the remaining blankets to the corner that still held her unbloodied clothes. She lay down and let herself fold back to human form. She gathered the blanket around her body, and walked over to where Dara still lay weak and unmoving. Ivy looked down at the girl, not showing a hint of anger or satisfaction, but simply looking.

"Why didn't you hurt me?" Dara looked back up at Ivy with rage piercing her eyes.

Layla shrieked. "What are you talking about why didn't she hurt you! You're covered in bl--" Will put his hand over her mouth to quiet her, but Ivy never took her eyes from Dara.

"You could have killed me. Why didn't you?" Ivy stayed silent and staring. "Answer me!" Dara screamed and tried to sit, failing miserably.

"Because." Everyone was silent as she spoke as her human self. "I already have one haunting me. I don't need two." Ivy turned her back to Dara and went towards her clothes.

"Who." Dara demanded an answer, more than requested one. Ivy picked up her clothes carefully, and silently. "Who! Tell me, dammit!" Dara sat up, and struggled to pull herself to her full height before yelling again. "Tell me!"

"Ivy..." Evelyn took a step forward in protest as Ivy turned around to face the young Absolute. "Ivy, please." Evelyn pleaded as much as she could.

Ivy walked back to Dara, standing inches from her, and inches above her. "My mom." She turned towards the door to leave when Evelyn stood in her path.

"Ivy, don't you dare think that. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have--"

Ivy stared at her aunt, and her pitiful attempts to clear Ivy's conscience. "I killed her, Evelyn."

The room was silent. No one knew what to say, or how to say it, but suddenly Warren understood why she had turned to alcohol after her mother was gone, why she remained silent when she was sober, and why she'd wanted to leave the Super world and live with her uncle.

"Don't say that." Evelyn whispered to her niece and took a step forward.

Ivy took a step back away from Evelyn, and walked around her, never setting her eyes on her friends once.

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So I know it's been a while since I last updated, so I hope this chapter and the previous one weren't too bad.

Miser... Thoughts? =\


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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Three and a half months had passed since the discovery of Dara's Absolute, the real reason behind Christine Stone's death, and Ivy's final change to become one with the panther, instead of separate entities sharing half a body. She then began to understand why she was the strongest, and why the Coven wanted her gone; because she could control it and they couldn't. She wondered why the changes had been so staggered, but she knew better than to question the world of Supers or Absolutes at this point.

It was now mid-April, and Ivy had been teaching Dara to control her Absolute, instead of letting the Absolute control her.

After their battle in the cafeteria in January, Dara hadn't returned to school for over a week. Principal Powers had agreed to let her come back, so long as she agreed to be coached by Ivy until she knew her animal side as well as she knew her human one. Dara had agreed, with much reluctance, and after much persuasion. Before school, during school, and after school Ivy worked with Dara teaching her how to change, how to change back, and how to respond to "Cane" as a safe-word, much the way she used to need to respond to "Stone".

Dara had never mentioned that she and Ivy went to the same school and had contact to Dylan. She never mentioned her fight with Ivy, and she never mentioned the lessons, either. She would never admit it, but she was scared for her brother; for what he might do to Ivy, and for what Ivy might do to him. Dara had witnessed first-hand what it was like to be on the receiving end of the panther, and she could only imagine how much worse it had been for Dylan. She didn't want him to have any reason to go after her again, and have even worse repercussions than the last time. Permanent burns and scars and claw marks covering his body was probably not enough to keep him away from her, and Dara knew it. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Literally.

Ivy had begun to grow a soft-spot for the arrogant girl. At first, they didn't speak much, an unmentioned tension still lingering between them, but the times they spent together while Ivy trained her, was enough to know that one day Dara would be strong. Not just physically, but in every way. She had the capability, and if Ivy could only push the arrogance away, Dara could be such a better Super. Such a better hero. And such a good hope for the Absolute clan.

As time passed, Ivy and Dara spent more and more time together, training, but also becoming something close to friends. Small, baby steps first: a few minutes of talking about homework, Ivy helping Dara with her English essays, then a "Hello" and smile during lunch periods. By the first week in April, Dara sat with Ivy and the others almost daily, and spent most of her weekends busy with them, too. She'd often spend her afternoons at Ivy's apartment, or in the Paper Lantern with Lash, Layla and Will waiting for Warren to get off work. Trent had developed a most obvious crush on the freshman, but she had seemed to not notice; her sights were set on none other than Warren.

Ivy and Warren still hadn't had a chance to speak about their one night together. And when they did have the chance, they were either interrupted, or neither knew how to approach the topic so it was left alone. They had become friends much as they had been before any of the problems had started, but there were many times when their goodbye hug was just a moment too long, or one would lose concentration on the task at hand because they were looking at the other. But no one other than the two of them ever noticed.

Lash had finally finished his portrait of Ivy, and started the rest of his portfolio. He and Warren had also become quite close, which was still requiring much adjusting from Will's end; he hadn't quite gotten used to it just yet. Taylor and Speed remained in a happy, care-free relationship, while Zach and Magenta had decided to reevaluate theirs. They had discussed it over and over again, and had finally settled on an unofficial dating-habit. Neither of them were quite sure just what they wanted from the other anymore, but somehow through the awkwardness of it, they remained best friends able to laugh and joke just as they always had. No one understood that. Especially not them.

But more than any of the training, or relationships, or anything else in Ivy's life, her friends had never once asked what really happened with her mother. She didn't know if it was because they were afraid to bring it up, or if it was because they had put two and two together, and made an educated guess as to what the answer was. Whatever their reasons, Ivy never complained, and never brought it up. It was not something she wished to openly discuss, other than to admit she did it.

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Short, but I've had heeeella stuff to do so I haven't had much time to update anything. Hope it was ok!


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

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The second week of a rainy April passed, and Friday afternoon had come before any of the group had noticed. For weeks they had all been planning a weekend trip to Taylor's vacation house in Florida. It was a large beach house that her family rotated between themselves, and she'd been given permission to take her friends down for a weekend. Since Ivy's apartment was the central location between all their houses, everyone had brought their packed gear over to her place throughout the week so they could all go straight to the apartment and leave together right after school. The bus pulled up at her stop, and Zach and Layla were the first off and running down the street towards Ivy's. Will, Warren, Lash and Speed trailed out next, unable to contain their laughter at Zach's sad excuse for running. Magenta, Taylor, Dara and Ivy were last off the bus, thanking the driver and wishing him a good weekend. Trent was unable to join them for the weekend, but he made sure they knew he was demanding many a photo.

The rowdy group of ten finally made it the few blocks to Ivy's apartment to find a tall man in a brown trench coat standing outside her building. He flipped a deck of cards over in his hands, shuffling and fiddling with them, but not nervously; just 'cause. The entire group stopped as they saw him look up at them. Ivy and Magenta's laughter died as they realized everyone else was silent and not moving. The two girls looked at each other before Ivy pushed through the group. She got to the front and dropped her bag as she saw the combat boots and the gloves that only had the thumb, middle, and ring fingers covered.

"You're not serious." Ivy's once happy mood had vanished leaving no trace of ever having existed.

"Cher. Did you miss Gambit?" His black and red eyes bore into hers, as a devilish, wicked grin crept onto his lips.

Ivy didn't dignify his question with a response, but instead picked up her bag and ran passed the strange man into her building. Gambit tore after her, and the rest of her friends followed close behind.

Ivy ripped open her apartment door and grabbed the landline phone. She dialed furiously, and when there was no answer on the other line, she threw the phone at Gambit's head, causing a look of shock and utter amusement to plague his face as he ducked out of the line of fire. Layla yelped as the phone hit the wall right next to her, and she closed the door behind herself since she was the last one inside. Everyone had already strewn themselves across her living room, as Ivy's face had begun to flush and her body temperature rise in anger. She screamed and growled and grabbed her cell phone from her bag. She dialed another number and began pacing back and forth.

"Xavier. You have _got_ to be kidding."

The volume on Ivy's cell phone was loud enough that everyone in the room could hear Professor Xavier's voice as clearly as if he were standing with them. "I wondered when you'd call. Evelyn has informed me of some issues you've been having and I thought I should send one of my X-Men to help you."

Ivy cut through his sentence screaming. "I don't need a babysitter, X! And if I did, it would _never_ be _him_! You couldn't have sent Rogue? Or Peter? I'd take _LOGAN_ over him!"

"Everyone else is needed here. I asked for a volunteer, and he offered. He's been having a hard time lately, and he needs a break just as much as anyone. He'll only be with you a little while, just to make sure everything is going well."

"Everything is fine. He can go now." Her voice was all too hopeful, and she knew it.

"I want him to stay, just to make sure." Professor Xavier had kept his voice calm through Ivy's rage, and she was starting to get more than a little irritated.

"Well, that's too bad. I'm going away with my friends for the weekend, so his services aren't needed. He can go on his merry way back down to whatever rock he crawled out of this time, and he can just stay there." Ivy stared dead into Gambit's mocking eyes as she spoke to the professor and was told once again that he would remain with her until further notified. She screamed in fury and hung the phone up. She whipped around to punch the wall behind her before stomping over to where Gambit leaned his left shoulder against the wall, fiddling with his cards again.

"You so much as _look_ at me wrong, and I will break you." She pushed his chest, and he momentarily lost his balance, grabbing hold of her arm to steady himself. He immediately jumped back after touching her bare skin, before looking at his hand and smiling at Ivy so charmingly and inappropriately that it made her sick. "Oh, you mother f--" Ivy launched her fist at his face, knuckles colliding with a chestnut brown eyebrow and terrifying red and black eye. She stormed to her room shutting the door, while he laughed hysterically at the flustered and furious girl.

Over an hour had passed, and still her friends had no idea what was going on, and still no one had any luck convincing her to come out her room. Over and over again she'd yell from the other side that she wasn't going to Florida, or leaving her room so long as he was there. Lash finally looked at Warren with pleading eyes, and Warren reluctantly rose from his comfortable chair and stalked down the hallway.

"Ivy."

"No. Make him leave."

Warren hid a smile at her stubbornness before trying again. "Ivy. Come out." He raised his left arm and rested the forearm against the door frame horizontally, as he leaned his weight into it. He looked so... Manly. Magenta and Taylor snickered at the pose.

"I'm not going. Not so long as he's here."

"You can still come with us. No one ever said that you have to speak to him, or look at him, or even be in the same room as him. Come on, Ivy. Open up." He gently kicked the door, and silence replied to it. They all heard another snarl and growl and scream mangled together as she flew her door open, bright red in the face, cheeks puffy. If she had been a cartoon, Warren was positive she'd have had steam coming out of her ears. He tried to put a comforting arm around her shoulder, but she stood stone frozen staring at the muscled, laughing man across the hallway from her. She gripped her overnight bag in one hand, and clenched the other so tightly her knuckles were disgustingly white. Warren reached down to take the bag from her hands, and gave up when he realized he would never succeed in trying to pry it away from her.

Ivy snarled again, grabbing a few things from her school bag before she held the door open for the group to file through. Gambit smiled again as he was the last one to leave.

"It's OK, Cher. Gambit missed you enough for da both of us." He passed by her, and she kicked him in the back of his right knee, making him fall and everyone turn around to look at them. She closed her door, and stepped over and around him, glaring at Warren angrily in the process.

Warren turned to Will baffled. "How is this my fault?" Will laughed and clapped a highly confused Warren on the back, before shoving him towards the staircase.

Will, Taylor and Ivy were all driving to the airport so they had enough room for everyone. Will took Layla, Magenta and Zach. Taylor had Speed and Lash, and Ivy was blessed with Dara, Warren, and now Gambit. The flight was too long for Ivy's liking; Gambit had made sure to get the seat next to her, after she'd taken the window one. He proceeded to poke her hand every few minutes, the amusement of being able to touch her never getting old, or he would kinetically charge peanuts to fling at her. He was about as mature as a twelve year old sometimes. The minute the plane landed, Ivy pushed her way past him into the aisle. Warren met her there, and she pushed him back into his seat.

"You make me sit next to him on the way back and you'll never get off my bad side." She grabbed her bag down from the overhead compartment, letting it land on Warren's head momentarily and stalked off the plane ahead of everyone else.

"What the fuck, Will." Warren growled as Will helped pull the pyro off Zach, Magenta, and Dara.

"I think you were supposed to take the seat next to her." Layla almost whispered the information, and Warren shot her a very angry look. She flashed a scared smile before hurrying off after Ivy.

The group had rented a van for the entire weekend, and since Ivy was the first one out of the airport, she was first to the van. She refused to give up the keys, and no one dared to argue with her in public, so they all squeezed into the back, while Taylor sat in the front seat to direct Ivy to the house.

Taylor's vacation house was in the wealthy Naples, Florida. A large beach front estate with had six bedrooms -- plus a guest room -- four and a half baths, and an indoor spa and hot tub. After parking the van, the gang unloaded themselves and their bags, and stood staring at the monstrous house before them.

"My grandparents were _loaded_, so they bought the house for my dad to share with his three brothers. Every six months they rotate who gets to take care of it. Welcome, friends." Taylor smiled and lead the way into the house.

Everyone left their bags in the main entrance, and Taylor lead them down the large hallways to the kitchen, living area, TV room, mini-bar, back yard and beach area, and finally up to the bedrooms. The girls decided it wasn't going to be a co-ed sleeping arrangement, not because they didn't trust their boys, but because they liked having girl time. Layla and Magenta shared a room, as did Dara and Taylor. Ivy claimed her own room so she didn't need to use her serum the entire weekend since she was running low. Will and Zach grabbed a room, as did Speed and Lash. Leaving Warren. And Gambit. Together. Ivy was not pleased. It was past nine when they finally settled into their rooms and had bathed and cleaned up, ready to go out and explore the town.

Layla and Dara both wore mid-length skirts and t-shirts, while Magenta stuck to jeans and a tank, and Taylor had a pair of jean shorts with an empire waist, baby-girl styled shirt, all in their respective colors. Ivy stared out her window at the ocean-view and smiled at the warm night, finally having calmed down. She pulled on a black mini skirt and black ankle boots. She tied her hair up into a sloppy ponytail, and pulled on a three-quartered sleeve, gray ribbed shirt. She left her room and ran into Zach in the hall. He was in typical white shorts and his neon yellow, white and black shirt, with black flip-flops. Ivy smiled at Zach and how happy he was to be away from Maxville. She looped her arm through his and they wondered down the hallway back towards the main staircase. Once in the foyer, Ivy set an alarm on her phone for seven thirty the next morning when her serum would wear off, and they were joined by the rest within moments.

Warren may have been happy to have a vacation, but Ivy would have never known from his black t-shirt and dark denims. She grunted at how uncreative he could be. Will was in khaki shorts and a red and blue striped shirt. Lash and Speed both stuck to jeans and t-shirts; comfortable, but not tacky. _For once._ Lash went straight to Ivy and draped his unusually long arm on her shoulders.

"Cheer up." Ivy glared back at him. "Or not." He gave her a quick squeeze before letting her go.

Gambit was the last to join them. He had taken off his X-Men uniform and let his hair into a low ponytail the way the Cajun was prone to do on his downtime. He had a nice blazer-type beige jacket with a black button-down, and jeans. Layla and Dara exchanged looks of... _Ew. They are not _actually_ checking him out. _Ivy felt a sudden surge of nausea go through her.

"How old are you?" Dara raised at eyebrow at the Cajun.

"Too old for you, Cherie." He pat the young girl on her head as she scowled at him. He laughed at her expression and answered her question. "Gambit almost twenty-three, if da Cher must know."

"Or so he says. More like thirteen, if you ask me." Ivy mumbled, but everyone heard and chuckled at her misery. Gambit walked over to Ivy and reached out to put his arm around her, the way Lash had. "Uh-uh. Don't touch me." She put her hand in front of his face, and he smiled as he dropped his arm.

"In time, Cher. In time."

"No. And don't call me that." Ivy tossed the keys to Will. "You drive. I might be tempted to crash the car just so I don't ever have to listen to him talk again."

"Yeah, I'll drive, that sounds like a plan." Will nodded nervously and enthusiastically, and the group wondered out towards the rented van.

---

Here are a few more chapters that I had written and didn't post last time, enjoy!

3


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

---

Will parked a few blocks away from downtown so the group had a chance to look at everything. They made their way through the bright streets, and let themselves take in all the colors and sites. Everyone seemed to be out and about at late-night cafés and bars and restaurants, or simply walking around with their lovers and friends. They passed by boutiques and shops of all kinds, most closed, until they stumbled onto a restaurant-bar that was having a karaoke and dance night. Zach was the first one inside with everyone trailing behind. Except Ivy. She stood outside staring unhappily at the place, knowing she'd be forced to sing. _Why is it that everywhere I go, there's always got to be singing and dancing. Coincidence my ass._ She grumbled to herself and dragged her feet over to the large table the group had snagged. Zach and Magenta were already dancing, while the rest ordered coffee's and food, and Gambit made his way to the bar. Ivy sat down unhappily and Layla couldn't take anymore.

"You could at least pretend that you're happy to be here, ya know." Layla took a small sip of water.

Ivy looked up at her, and saw the genuine frustration. She sighed, and let her shoulders relax a little. "You're right. I'm sorry. This weekend is supposed to be fun, and it will be, I promise." Layla smiled at Ivy's tiny effort and thanked her.

It had been over forty minutes since Gambit had left, and Dara had long since been looking for him. She finally spotted him at the bar, flirting with some blonde waitress. She laughed loudly, and Taylor and Ivy both turned their attention in the direction Dara's attention was focused.

"Jesus, he makes me sick." Ivy shook her head and took a huge bite of her pasta.

Taylor scowled at her in return. "Ivy. Play nice." Ivy glared at the icey-eyes of her friend and finally settled on sticking her tongue out in response. Taylor smiled at the childish gesture. "I wanna dance. Someone dance with me." She fake coughed, "Tony." Speed rolled his eyes and went to his girlfriend on the other end of the table. She laughed as he held his hand out for her, and she took it instantly and dragged him out to the dance floor where Zach and Magenta had stayed since they had first arrived.

Conversation ensued until a blonde boy with shaggy hair approached the table, staring intently at Dara, who hadn't noticed.

"Um, excuse me?" Dara turned to see the boy shove his hands into his pockets nervously. "Would you, uh--" He paused and gulped. "Would you dance with me?"

Dara stared at the boy in complete shock before glancing at her friends who were all smiling in approval and support. "Yeah, sure." She smiled wide. "I'd love to." She put her napkin on the table and let the boy lead her onto the floor.

"Aw!" Layla squealed. "That is so cute!"

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Except that he's probably our age, and that's kinda gross."

Layla threw a napkin at her. "No, it's cute." Gambit chose that exact moment to return to the table and sit down where Dara had been. "You're just jealous he didn't ask you."

Ivy choked and spit her water back into her cup, before coughing and trying to clear her throat. Warren smiled slyly.

"Why da Cher jealous dis time?" Ivy's eyes immediately flew to Gambit and warned him silently of his choice of words, even though no one noticed.

"Some cute boy asked Dara to dance. Usually Ivy's the one that's getting all the attention. I think she's just jealous." Layla smiled coyly, but Ivy's angry stare didn't leave the Cajun.

"Well, if dat be da case. Would you like to dance?" Gambit smiled as her face flushed bright shades of red. "Gambit take dat as a yes." He stood and tried to take her hand.

"Sit down, jackass." Ivy tried to sip her water again without spraying it.

"Gambit trying to be nice." He looked sincere in his hurt at the rejection, which caused Warren to smoke a little, and raise an eyebrow.

"I highly doubt Rogue would see it that way." Ivy stood. "Excuse me." She moved passed him to go to the Ladies Room.

Layla looked over towards Warren and saw the smoke. She thought quick and threw an ice-cube towards him. He noticed when it melted after immediately contacting his bare arm, and the smoke disappeared. He shot a small, thankful smile at her and she nodded.

"Will." Will turned his attention to his girlfriend. "We're dancing." She stood and walked out to the dance floor.

Will sat shocked for a moment and looked at Warren. "She's spending too much time with Ivy." Warren outright laughed, and Will followed his girl. Gambit had sat back down at the table, and the two sat in an awkward silence.

"So. Rogue, huh? Ivy's told me a lot about her. She seems cool." Warren looked at the Cajun, who barely nodded without looking back.

"Tings between Rogue and Gambit are complicated." Warren thought he saw sadness, but it quickly disappeared when the blonde waitress came over to the table. She had taken off her apron and changed her clothes; Warren assumed she'd just gotten off.

She sat down briefly, introducing herself as Mildred, or Millie. Warren paid more attention to how uncomfortable Gambit looked, than to what Millie was saying. After a few moments of polite conversation, Gambit excused the two of them, and said he'd be back in a bit. They left the restaurant right as Ivy returned to the table.

"Where'd the devils' spawn go?" She took her seat and looked at Warren, who shrugged.

"Off with that blonde waitress he was hitting on." He shrugged again as Ivy fought not to choke.

"I'll, uh, I'll be right back." She stood with the look that Warren knew all too well as "I'm-Going-To-Kill".

Ivy made her way through the dance floor to the front entrance. She stepped out into the warm night and searched through the people to find her favorite Cajun across the street near an alley way, kissing the blonde most intensely. The blonde moved down to kiss his neck, and Gambit took that moment when her attention was diverted to look back towards the restaurant and see Ivy staring at him, shaking her head in disgust and contempt. Before Gambit could register that Ivy had seen him, the blonde had kissed him again, and he lost sight of Ivy.

She returned to the table cursing under her breath. Everyone but Dara had sat back down with Warren, and they all looked at her when she plopped herself back into her seat.

"Everything OK?" Magenta tilted her head the side a bit.

"Yeah." Ivy lied with a fake smile that everyone could see through. "Everything's fine."

No one called her on the lie, but when Ivy looked at Layla, she immediately turned her attention elsewhere, obviously upset with Ivy's attitude. Ivy slouched even more in her chair when Zach broke the awkward silence.

"Yo, it's a karaoke night. Let's all sing or somethin'!" Taylor, Lash and Speed all groaned and scooted their seats away from Zach. "Man, you guys don't know how to have fun, man!"

Lash snorted. "Leave the singing to the people who can. You do not wanna hear Tony sing. That shit ain't pretty."

Speed laughed loudly and nodded. "I'm pretty sure I'm tone-deaf." Taylor just smiled and gave him a huge kiss on his cheek, while the rest laughed.

"Ivy, why don't you serenade us?" Will smiled widely from the other end of the table.

"How bout I don't. I'm really not in the mood." Ivy shook her head pleading.

"Yeah, cause that would require actually having fun." Layla mock-smiled at Ivy before leaving to table to go to the restrooms.

Warren smirked. "She has a point." Ivy's face dropped in shock and she looked at Warren. "What? It's all been about the drama for the past how many months. You've forgotten how to have fun."

"You're one to talk, Warren. You never knew how to have fun to begin with." Ivy stood and marched straight up to the karaoke bar, but a fairly attractive young man made it there before she could. He was well over six and a half feet tall, with broad shoulders, and a thin waist. His hair was not unlike Warren's in style, but it was a deep black instead of just a dark brown. He had hazel-brown eyes, and a strong jawline. He was wearing a navy blue button down that only had one button buttoned, with black slacks. He saw Ivy approaching the small podium, but when she saw he was already there, she turned to walk away.

"Hey!" Ivy looked back at the tall man. "Sing with me! It'll be fun, I promise!" She raised an eyebrow but shrugged and joined him at the podium. "What song were you thinking of?"

"I really don't care. I actually hate karaoke. I'm just doing it to make my friends happy." She didn't look at his expression, but continued to focus on the list of songs on the screen beneath her.

"Well that's no way to go through life."

Ivy laughed in mockery. "It's not life. It's just a weekend."

The man shrugged. "I'm Spencer Wells." He held out his hand.

She smiled as she took it and finally looked him in the eyes. "Ivy Stone."

His eyes grew wide as he looked at Ivy's swimming irises. "Ivy Stone?" She nodded unsure. "The Oracle's daughter." Ivy dropped her hand immediately and took a step back from him. He saw the caution and laughed. "No, no, no, no! I'm a good guy. Here, I'm a telepath, do you mind?" He raised his hand towards her temples and her entire body tensed.

"How do I know you aren't playing me?" She felt her voice shake and quiver and couldn't keep the nerves out of it.

"Your panther knows I'm not." Ivy felt her face drain of color at his remark. "Mine is a hawk." He smiled genuinely, and Ivy's mouth dropped open. He laughed again. "You're quite the conversationalist."

"I-- I--" She shook her head then returned to her dumbfounded state with her mouth gaping open. She looked at where his hand still stayed midair, and she took it in her own and placed his fingertips against her temple.

A flash of images came stampeding through her mind. Spencer had been friends with the Oracle: she had taught him how to use his telepathy, and Ivy vaguely recognized him as one of the boys that had passed through her home in Louisiana that her mother had been coaching.

When Spencer removed his hand, Ivy could only think of one word to say. "Santana." He laughed at found Santana's list of songs the karaoke bar featured. As he scrolled through them, Ivy looked to her friends who had resumed conversation at the table. Ivy caught Taylor's eye and she mouthed "Absolute!" to the ice-girl. Taylor was good at reading lips and got it on the first try. She waved the attention of the others and told them, and they all turned their attention to Ivy, who had been given a mic, and forced onto the center of the stage with her new friend.

She looked at Spencer and smiled as she recognized the song. He started the first verse for them. "_She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see, how the devil himself could be pulled out of me. There were drums in the air as she started to dance..._" Ivy laughed as he started to dance with her. She joined him on the chorus, and let him go solo again for the second verse. "_No room left to move in between you and I. We forget where we were and we lost track of time, and we sang to the wind as we danced through the night..." _They danced together as his raspy, sultry voice filled the bar.

He let Ivy take the second chorus solo, and she looked at Layla who smiled in forgiveness. Somewhere in the mess of the music Gambit had returned from his... Extravaganza... And rejoined the group and a delighted Dara.

Ivy joined him for the repeat of the first verse, and Taylor cheered her on from the crowd. _"Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell, it was love from above that could save me from hell. She had fire in her soul it was easy to see, how the devil himself could be pulled out of me. There were drums in the air as she started to dance, every soul in the room keeping time with their hands."_

_"And we danced on into the night."_ Ivy ended the song and everyone clapped and howled. The two put their mics back, and Ivy pulled him over to her friends.

"Guys. Meet Spencer." Gambit looked him up and down, and went to the bar. Ivy ignored him. "He's a telepath and an Absolute." Dara froze in shock, having missed Ivy's silent warning earlier. She saw the look on poor Dara's face and laughed. "No, he's a good one. He knew my mom."

Gambit returned with another beer, and took his seat again. "Good to meet you, Monsieur...?"

"Wells." Spencer held his hand out towards Gambit, who plainly saw it and choose to take a swig of beer instead. Spencer dropped his hand unphased by the Cajun's rudeness. "I gotta go, actually. My friends are probably trying to find me."

"Alright. It was good to meet you, though." Ivy was sad that he had to leave, but he was quick in writing down his phone number.

"Should you need anything." He gave her a look which made her understand that it wasn't an accident he was there. He'd been waiting. Spencer gave her a hug and whispered in her ear so only she could hear. "Something's coming, Discord. Watch yourself. I can only do so much." She tightened the hug so he knew she'd heard him. "Oh, and be careful around that Gambit guy. There's a reason he volunteered to babysit you. And it's not exactly PG." He pulled back and smiled at her bright red, shocked, angry and confused face. "Later guys. Good luck with everything back home." He waved and left before anyone really had a chance to register what he'd said.

"Oh! Telepath!" It clicked with Layla first, and the rest then followed with, "Oh!" and "Right."

Ivy still stood in shock and dismay before hesitantly looking at Gambit, who was watching Spencer and drinking his beer. He noticed Ivy looking at him, and looked down at his drink before offering it to her. "A drink for da Cher?"

Ivy paused for a moment, her hand twitched as she debated whether or not to have a small sip. She remembered all her nights spent in solitude and a depressed intoxication. She remembered her rehabilitation program. And she shook her head at Gambit who smiled, knowing what she'd thought of.

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Ok, one more to go for now!


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

---

The moment the front door opened, everyone separated to go to their rooms. It was well past two in the morning, and while it was a mini-vacation, Ivy was still not a fan of losing sleep. She had somehow ended up across the hall from Warren and Gambit, while everyone else was on the other side of the house entirely. The three made their way silently, and as soon as Ivy reached her door she disappeared inside, not saying a word to either Warren or Gambit. The two exchanged confused looks before retreating inside their own room.

Ivy fell face first onto her bed, and was hardly able to take her boots off before she fell asleep.

The images of Spencer flashed through her mind. Images of her mother flashed through her mind. Images of that day. Images of her body. Images of the blood.

Christine had been helping Ivy with her Absolute form much as she always did, but more carefully this time, since the last had resorted in Ivy's hair staying white, and her eyes being stuck mid-change. It was overcast and dark, and Christine had begged Ivy to change just once, to make sure everything was OK. It had been over a month since her last change, and Christine was worried that Ivy would never conquer her fear of the change, of what it did and what it could do.

They had a small forest-type area in their backyard down in Louisiana that they used as Ivy's training arena. It was full of brush and tall trees, small woodland animals often popped up, but the panther had become accustomed to them by then. Ivy changed into her panther, and simultaneously, Christine said "Stone" and there was a large crash somewhere inside the woods. The panther took off towards the sound, ignoring all Christine's yells from behind.

After minutes of searching and finding nothing, the panther quietly and cautiously had returned to where Christine had been, to find the space empty. The panther looked all around itself trying to find Christine but saw nothing. A few birds flew anxiously out from behind the panther, flying as quickly away as possible, and the panther slowly turned and attacked the thing that frightened the birds, tearing it to pieces, shredding it's skin and ripping its bone. Only after the body lay unmoving and horrifyingly battered and mutilated, did the panther only slightly recognize it as Christine, by scent.

While the panther didn't know until minutes after it stopped grabbing at the flesh, Ivy knew from the beginning. Inside the panther she screamed and howled for her mother, unwilling to comprehend and accept what the panther had done. She'd had no control, and as she tried to make the panther stop... She couldn't.

From the panthers eyes she looked at her mother, lying bloodied and broken beneath her. She forced the panther to relinquish the body, and she felt her own body return to being, naked, shivering, coated in blood. Her legs collapsed beneath her, and she fell to her mothers' side, crying dry tears, shaking the remains of her mothers shoulders, trying to wake her.

Ivy's phone alarm beeped and woke her from the dreams and images. She sat up and wiped a cold sweat from her forehead before reaching for her phone. She shut off the alarm and went to her suitcase. She changed out of her clothes from the night before and into gray sweats with a long sleeved white shirt. She stood at her ocean-view window, and stared out at the water as the morning sun began to creep up and illuminate the waves beneath her.

She unconsciously wiped her hands on her pants, trying to rid them of her blood that forever stained her skin. The images crept into her mind again, and she shut her eyes, squeezing them as tightly as she could; not to shut them out, but to keep them in. They were things no one needed to ever see, and should they be reflected on her face and in her eyes, everyone would know well enough that they might as well have seen.

When she reopened her eyes, the sun was bright overhead, and she heard laughing and chattering from the kitchen below. Ivy turned her back to the water, and tied her messy hair into a loose braid. She left her room, and walked barefoot down the cold marble steps to the big kitchen where everyone sat enjoying pancakes that Layla and Dara had made.

"Good morning, sleepyhead! Pancakes?" Layla was her normal cheery self, and Ivy couldn't help but smile that not everything changed.

"Yes, please. Blueberries and chocolate chips?" Ivy yawned as she sat at the island that the rest of her friends either leaned against or sat at. Layla passed down a bowl that had blueberries and chocolate chips mixed together. "Delicious." Ivy took a pancake and rolled the mixture into it, drenching it in maple syrup.

Speed looked at the food in disgust. "What in the hell is wrong with you? That's so nasty!" He made a face that echoed his nausea and Ivy smiled a drippy smile at him, which made him move to the other side of the counter, away from her. She tried not to laugh through her mouthful of food.

Warren threw a napkin at her from his seat at the opposite end and she mumbled a "Thank you" as she gulped down milk. He chuckled quietly and shook his head at her and her eating habits.

"How does she eat like that, and still end up a fucking toothpick? I hate her." Taylor growled and shoved a pancake into her mouth.

"I think you're perfect just the way you are." Speed smiled, and Taylor threw a blueberry at him.

"Oh, shut up." Speed laughed at her.

"You're almost as tiny as me!" Ivy finally swallowed and decided to join in the conversation. Taylor shook her head, and Ivy nodded hers. They looked ridiculous. "I bet you ten bucks you could fit into my pants."

"I don't wanna take your money. That's not fair." Taylor smiled and Ivy rolled her eyes, along with all the boys who had lost interest in the conversation before it had even started.

They ate the rest of the meal in peace, save for Gambit trying to touch her and getting burned.

"Ah tought da Cher didn't burn no more!" He ran his finger under cold water as Dara, Lash and Magenta laughed hysterically.

"Sorry to disappoint." Ivy turned her attention back to her friends. "So, what are we doing today? I kinda wanna go shopping or something."

"We could, there's a really nice outdoor mall. But I don't think the guys really feel like watching us buy shoes." Taylor rinsed off her plate and shoved it in the washer.

"You guys can go shopping and we'll go to the grocery store. Will and I were planning on barbecuing on the beach, so we'll need to pick some stuff up." Warren shrugged.

"You cook?" Dara completely forgot about Gambit, and her attention was all for Warren once again. Ivy's head shot up at Dara's interest. Warren nodded, but didn't say anything, and Ivy looked frantically back and forth between the two until Zach gently pushed her shoulder and she caught herself. "That is so cool. I'm totally gonna give you a list of my favorite dishes and have you make me dinner one day." Ivy felt her face grow red hot, and then turn embarrassed pink when Warren looked at her in amusement.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." He shrugged again and stood to put his plate in the sink. He took the long route around the island so he could pass behind Ivy on his way out.

She, too, stood and put her plate in the sink. "I'm gonna hop in the shower. I feel gross."

"Save me some hot water!" Magenta called after Ivy, who laughed extremely loudly in a "Yeah, right" response.

Ivy went upstairs and literally ran into Warren as he was coming around the corner of the hallway heading to the bathroom, wearing his sweatpants. _Only_ his sweatpants.

"Oh, God. Um--" Ivy paused embarrassed, and looked away, turning pink again.

Warren smirked at her. "Not like you haven't seen it before." He felt his own face turn pink as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah. Um. We should--" She stopped and rethought her sentence. "Can we talk or something later? I feel like we never really--" She gestured awkwardly with her hands to get her point across without having to say it.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." He gave her the same nonchalant answer he gave Dara before stepping around her to continue on his way to the bathroom. She turned to watch him go, right as Gambit came up the stairs behind her.

"Mm. Great." She rolled her eyes and turned back around to continue the walk to her room.

"Cher, why you so mean to Gambit?" He made sure to grab her clothed wrist after he caught up with her right outside her door. He held onto her wrist and maneuvered so she had to turn to look at him.

"What do you want, Remy?" She groaned in annoyance as he smiled.

"Only you can call me dat, Cher."

"Let go of me. I need to take a shower." She tried to pull her wrist back from him, getting uncomfortable being so close to someone without her serum, especially when that someone didn't tend to care about being burned, as she discovered a few years before. She knew the cold water in the kitchen was just a show, so no one would think it was strange or suspicious, but she still didn't like it.

While she was temporarily lost in her thoughts, her body relaxed, and he managed to move her against the wall a foot behind her. He slid his other hand around her other wrist, and brought them up to level with her shoulders against the wall, pinning her there so she couldn't move her arms, somehow managing to not touch her skin. Her attention had snapped back by then, and she was fully aware that he was slowly inching his body closer to hers, until he was flat against her, flat against the wall.

"Remy, stop." She knew her voice wasn't strong enough to let him know she was serious, but she hoped he'd listen anyway. Unfortunately, he didn't. He moved his face closer to hers, and she grew more and more scared of burning him. "Gambit, please let go of me."

Gambit opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted. "Oh, my G-- OK Wow." Gambit jumped back from where he held Ivy, who scurried as far away from him as possible.

"Will. Um-- I--" Ivy panicked and turned red.

"I was just gonna borrow a pair of socks from Warren..." Will's gaze flickered between Ivy's red and embarrassed face, and Gambit's smooth, suave one.

"Oh. Yeah, OK I should um, get--" She pointed to her room, before smiling very awkwardly and disappearing behind the big door.

"Da cher needed some help with a sore muscle." Gambit smiled, knowing he was full of shit, and knowing Will wouldn't believe any of it.

"Really. What muscle?" Will crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow.

"Gambit not sure. But he find out and let you know." He smiled wickedly at the Stronghold and moved out of the way so Will could go into the room to get some socks.

"No, thanks. I'll get some from Zach." He eyed the X-Man one more time before leaving.

As soon as Ivy had shut her door, she injected her serum, even though she hadn't been planning on it. Maybe he didn't mind being burned, but she knew others would mind should she accidentally touch them. She heard Will and Gambit exchange some dialogue, and tried not to gag at Gambit's "next time" response. As soon as she knew Will was gone, she flung her door open, and yanked Gambit inside.

"Don't you ever do that again. Ever. Do you understand me?" Now she had him pinned against the wall, her right forearm across his throat, her left hand holding his right shoulder back.

Gambit merely smiled at her.

"You're disgusting."

"You da one dat likes it." She immediately let go and crossed the room to get away from him. He smiled at her again and left the room quietly.

---

An explanation to Christine's death, a little bit of "let's talk" for Miser, and I just realized that I might as well have taken the last bit between Will, Gambit and Ivy out of Buffy Season 6. I'm slightly ashamed of myself, but then Buffy is so awesome that it doesn't matter.

Anyway, I hope Gambit made a few people smile. I love that dude.

Let me know what you think. =)


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

The girls got back to the house in the late afternoon with a few shopping bags each. They decided that Sunday night they would have a nice, fancy dinner, mainly because they found nice, fancy dresses that they wanted to wear. They all agreed that Evelyn deserved a very large hug for giving the entire school Monday off for no apparent reason, since it gave them an extra night to spend in Florida having fun, relaxing, and pretending to be normal teenagers.

After they had settled down in the kitchen and had some cold water, Magenta made the executive decision that it was time to swim. During their afternoon shopping spree, they had all bought bathing suits for not only themselves, but the boys as well. What good was being near the beach if they didn't use it? Ivy had never been a fan of bathing suits; she always felt so exposed. And with Gambit being around, it didn't ease her stomach. But nonetheless, Magenta and Dara had forced her to buy a simple black halter bikini, with a white sarong.

She changed into her swim suit, and stared at herself in the mirror, groaning. _Bathing suits. _She shuddered at the idea of being seen in something so revealing. Then she remembered the suit Taylor bought, and instantly felt much better about herself. Taylor had bought a blue bikini, with the string ties. Ivy wasn't sure what people were thinking when they designed it, but she hoped they intended it for strippers, and not actual people. She had laughed hysterically, and annoyed Taylor about the lack of suit the entire day. Layla had bought a suit similar to Ivy's, but green and brown_._ Magenta had found a simple purple bikini, and black shorts, and Dara had gotten Magenta's same suit in yellow and brown, without the shorts.

The girls met in the central living room, and they all whined when Ivy showed up in a black tank top over her suit. She begged them to allow her to keep it on until they actually went in the water, and they all reluctantly agreed. The girls meandered outside and down the few steps until they hit the sand. Ivy stopped right below the stairs, and felt the warm sand between her toes, and tried to conceal a giggle of joy. She loved the beach. Dara called her to hurry up, and she jogged down to meet them, linking arms with the freshman as she did. The boys were halfway down the beach with their barbecue and tables they had set up. Will and Speed were in the process of helping to make a bonfire a little ways away, while Zach, Warren and Lash cooked. Gambit sat at one of the tables they had set up playing cards, and being beyond unhelpful.

Zach spotted the girls first, and stopped mid-sentence to stare at them. Lash and Warren looked up when he hadn't continued, and they, too, forgot what the conversation had been about.

"Hey there, our favorite boys." Magenta smiled and put her towel on the table, on top of Gambit's game.

"Dat considered rude--" Gambit looked up and smiled at the girls, who were all leaving their towels on the table to go swim.

He laughed softly to himself, until he noticed Ivy standing alone at the edge of the water, towel in hand, tank top on, sarong tied around her hips. She had left her hair down, and the soft breeze swept it up so it gently beat against her face. The others were already in the water, and they were all begging for her to join, but she just laughed and shook her head. She headed back towards the table and put her towel with the rest. She ignored Gambit watching her, and went to the barbecue.

"Mm, smells delicious." She stood on her tiptoes and leaned her head over Warrens shoulder, who tensed as she ran her hand down the center of his back. Warren, Lash and Will had long since taken their shirts off under the hot sun, and she saw small goosebumps rise on the back of his neck, as her fingers traced a light line. He shifted his head to look at her, and she gave him a small smile before whispering in his ear, "We need to talk later." He didn't get a chance to respond, as she moved on to help Zach move the cooked food to the table the girls' towels littered. "Where's Will and Tony?" She looked around but didn't see them.

"They're trying to build a bonfire a little ways down the beach." He pointed left and arranged the food on the table.

"I'm gonna go say hi. I'll be back soon, OK?" Zach nodded and told her to be careful; Will was having a clumsy day. She laughed and jogged down the sandy beach in the direction Zach pointed.

A few minutes later she came up on a massive bonfire with a tired Speed sleeping on the sand in his shorts and t-shirt. Will was putting a few finishing touches on the construction and laughing at Speeds snoring.

"Hey, Will." Ivy greeted him casually, and ran to help as he misplaced a log, causing another to fall. She caught it just in time before it brought the rest of the bonfire down with it.

"Oh, hey." He was careful not to look at her, and replaced the two logs in a position they'd stay in. "Dude, Tony. Wake up." Will shook the sleeping Speed, and after a few kicks to the side, he was up and running back to the rest so he could get back to sleep, leaving Will and Ivy to walk back alone.

"So, can we talk about, um, this morning?" Ivy wasn't sure what to call it, or what to say to him, but she couldn't just leave it the way it was.

"What about it?" Will gathered his sandals and shirt off the ground and started to walk away, back towards the house and the barbecue.

Ivy jogged a few feet to catch up, and gently grabbed Will's arm. "Will, please." He stopped and looked at her blankly. "I met Gambit after my mom--" She paused. She didn't want to say died, but she didn't want to say anything else either, so she settled for saying nothing. "He was new to the Institute, and I was only staying a few weeks before I left for Greece. I was already silent by then, but being silent didn't stop him from trying to be my –- uh -- friend. Within the first hour of meeting me, he decided that he liked me." She rolled her eyes and the two began to walk again. "He never did anything, or ever really tried to do anything; he mainly followed me around annoying me when he wasn't pretending to be gentleman-like. This morning was completely out of character." She stopped talking when Will looked at her confused as to what she was talking about.

She raised an eyebrow and his face dropped. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Go on." He shifted his shoes and shirt uncomfortably.

"Anyway, he grew on me." She shrugged, not sure of how else to explain it. "We ended up falling asleep outside one night, and when I woke up the next morning, I had burned him. We guess that he rolled over in his sleep and brushed my hand or something, but we don't really know. It didn't scar, but since then, he hasn't really cared about the fact that he can't touch me. He's going through the same thing with Rogue. He can't touch her either, but he still loves her. Or at least he did the last time I checked. I don't really know how to explain this morning. I don't know what he was trying to accomplish, and I'd rather not find out, but I didn't want you to think that Gambit is a past time of mine."

Will smiled a bit. "Did you like him, or was he just entertainment for you?"

Ivy was taken aback by his question and thought for a moment. "I guess so, yeah. He was charming and witty. Annoying, but still sweet. Or maybe that's just the player side of him that was coming out. It's been years since I've seen him, and the last time we exchanged anything was in an email while I was still in Greece. We had vaguely kept in touch, and actually gotten to be friends. But he hadn't told me that him and Rogue were together, and I don't know. It just kinda hurt, ya know?

"So I got really mad at him and asked why he didn't tell me. He accused me of being jealous, and then insisted on the fact that I liked him. Of course I denied it, but it was true. The last I heard from him, he told me I was selfish and pigheaded. Which are both true, but still not very nice to hear." They stopped a few feet out of earshot to continue the conversation.

"Is that why you were less than thrilled to see him?" Will wiped some sweat from his forehead.

"Among other things." She shrugged. "I never wanted to hurt Rogue." Ivy looked at the ground beneath her, before turning her head to look out at the ocean; anything but looking at Will.

"So you still like him, then?" Will tilted his head to the side.

"On some level yeah. But right now he's just too arrogant and annoying for me to even think about it." She almost growled in frustration just thinking about him.

"I thought you said you didn't talk? That excluded emails?" Will looked towards the ocean.

"He begged me, and Professor Xavier requested that I keep in contact so they would know I was safe. He didn't want to telepathically contact me, I'm not sure why. But either way I couldn't say no to the Professor. " Will looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Or him." Ivy blushed.

"I will never understand girls." Will shook his head baffled at Ivy's answer, and she laughed at him, and they wrapped their arms around each other and walked the last few feet until they reached the food table.

Sooo, I finished writing this story today, it's a total of 50 chapters, so I hope you guys can bare with me for another little bit.

Review, let me know what you're thinkin'!


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

After an early dinner everyone, even Gambit, helped to clean up the dishes and bring the few tables back inside the house. The boys changed into the swim shorts the girls had brought for them and they all raced back down to the beach. Gambit didn't believe in swimming, so he alone sat on the beach playing cards and watching the teens have fun in the water. He felt like their babysitter, but then again, that was sort of the point. That was the reason Xavier sent him: to watch over Ivy and her friends because Xavier, like Spencer, knew something was coming and wanted them to be prepared and protected for when it did. Gambit stopped playing to look out at the group. They were just kids. They didn't know what it meant to have the weight of the world riding on their shoulders. They didn't understand that they were chosen and meant to protect humans. They were so fun and alive. Something he hadn't felt in years. Something none of the X-Men remembered. They'd been so busy trying to save a world that didn't accept them that they'd forgotten what it was like to just... Be.

He sat watching Magenta and Dara attack Lash and hold him under, he watched Layla race Speed, who figured out he couldn't swim as fast as he could run, He watched Zach, Ivy, Will and Taylor play a not so effective version of Marco-Polo, and he watched Warren sit with his bare feet brushing the edge of the water, reading. He and Warren were more alike than Gambit would ever admit. Gambit was without a doubt the social butterfly of the X-Men, but there was nothing he enjoyed more than his solitude.

Ivy finally dragged herself out of the water, and she fell beside Warren on the sand. He didn't take his eyes from his book until Ivy took it from him and threw it behind them.

"Earth to Warren." She waved her hands dramatically as he stared at her.

"Can I help you?" He sounded annoyed and tired, and not amused in the least.

Ivy's happy expression faded a little. "What's the matter with you?"

"I was reading." He got up to get his book out of the sand, and Ivy jumped up after him, grabbing his hand and yanking him as hard as she could towards the waves.

Had she been normal, her effort would have failed instantly, but lucky for Warren, she was stronger than human due to her feline genes. Warren went crashing into the waves, and the rest of their friends laughed hysterically when he recovered and stood, smoke rising out of him. Ivy smiled mischievously and jumped back into the waves, throwing herself arms first at Warren, dragging him under again. When they both resurfaced he grabbed her by her waist and threw her off him. He waded back to the shore and stalked out of the water, his jeans heavy and sticking to him. He growled as he took Ivy's towel and pat himself dry. He grabbed his book and headed for the house.

"What's his problem?" Dara scoffed as she let go of Lash.

"I don't have a clue." Ivy followed Warrens example and left the waves, grabbing her wet towel and white sarong and following him up the beach, tying her sarong as she went. She caught up with him and grabbed his hand. "Hey, calm down, Warren. I was just playing around."

"Well don't." He ripped his hand from her grip and continued walking. He passed a watching Gambit and went straight into the house. Ivy stood staring after him, and caught Gambit smiling in pleasure at their dispute. She looked back towards Warren and chased after him again. She found him in the kitchen drinking a soda.

"What's wrong with you? I was just trying to get you involved. You've been cranky since dinner." She stood arrogantly in one of the doorways so he couldn't get passed her. He looked at her and moved to go through the other. "Stop it, Warren. Talk to me."

He whipped around, eyes flaring, reflecting the fire he was trying hard to keep inside. "You think I don't see the way that ass looks at you?" He threw his soda can at the wall, causing in to explode and spray everywhere.

Ivy took a step back in fear at his burst. "What are you talking about, Warren? Who?" She was thoroughly confused.

"Gambit!" As soon as he said it, he regretted it. He watched Ivy's own anger flare into her face, and her hair turned a bright, flaming red.

"What about Dara?" Ivy threw her towel onto the floor. "Making her dinner?" She put her hands on her hips defiantly.

"What _about_ Dara? She's a friend! If Layla or Magenta or, hell, if _Taylor_ asked I'd make them dinner, too!" He screamed at her, his voice rumbling and making Ivy shiver.

"She likes you, Warren! And you're making her dinner!" Warren had a complete look of shock on his face.

He shook his head, "She what?" He really hadn't known.

"She likes you. She's been liking you for months." Ivy's hair faded back to white.

Warren closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, she doesn't. She likes Trent, she told me."

"She was trying to make you jealous." Ivy dropped her hands, and her shoulders hunched a bit, making her tall frame see so much smaller than it really was.

"Well that's too bad for her." Warren crossed the kitchen in two steps and wrapped Ivy in his arms completely, kissing her before she had a chance to think. She enclosed her arms around Warren's neck, and he gently lifted her off the ground, just enough that her head was above him and she had to look down at him. She withdrew from the kiss and watched him watch her. All his anger had been replaced with something else entirely, but she couldn't tell what, exactly. He lowered her to the ground, but didn't release her. She looked up at him and kissed him again softly, before hearing a cat-call from the doorway behind them. They both turned their heads, neither one letting go, and they saw everyone crowding at the door, bright smiles on all, except Dara and Gambit.

"It's about time, man. We were starting to worry it was never gonna happen, yo." Zach beamed from behind Layla.

"Can it, Glow-worm." Warren growled at Zach, who laughed off the threat and went into the kitchen.

"Whoa, whoa there. Talk about hostile." Zach shook his head as he picked up the remnants of the soda can.

"Oh, here. I'll get that." Ivy tore herself away from Warren and took the can from Zach. Layla helped her to clean up the wall, as the rest took quick showers and changed into dry clothes.

Once everyone was changed and dry, they returned to the now dark beach to light their bonfire. The group sat for hours talking and laughing, and deciding that they would all go to prom, including freshman Dara. Gambit had stayed back from the bonfire, a safe distance away so they were still in sight, but so that he couldn't be involved in the conversation; he wasn't feeling too social. Once the conversation had died down, and Lash and Taylor had gone back to the house, Layla tore herself away from the rest to see if Gambit was OK.

"Hey." She stood awkwardly, waiting for him to respond.

"Cher." He smiled as he looked up at the redhead.

"Did you wanna sit by the fire? It's getting cold." She smiled warmly, hoping he'd decide that he wanted to actually spend time with them.

"Gambit like da cold." He continued to watch her.

"Oh. OK, well, um, if you change your mind--" She gestured behind her, "We don't mind if you want to--"

Gambit laughed at the girl. "Gambit is tankful for da offer."

She smiled again and left him. He watched her return to her friends, who hadn't seemed to notice she'd been speaking with him. He hadn't realized his attention had wondered to Ivy, until she and Warren stood and walked hand in hand towards the house. Gambit felt a spark in his hand, and looking down he'd lit the card he was holding with his kinetic energy. He smiled at the Queen of Hearts, and he withdrew the energy funneling it back into his body.

I know, finally, right?

Miser... What do you think? =\


	36. Chapter 36

Ski: This one's for you, =)

Miser: I know how he talks is frustrating, but lol it's almost ridiculously true to his character in the 90's TV show... The comics are a little harder to duplicate so I had to stick with the TV Gambit. Just bare with me, ok?? And PLEASE don't stop reading after this chapter, cause I know you'll hate me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

The next day the group spent lounging around in the house, and at the beach beneath it. Ivy slept in until one in the afternoon, while Layla and Taylor were up bright and early making breakfast again. Speed and Zach spent the day playing Frisbee on the beach, while Will, Magenta and Dara went swimming again. Warren stayed in the house reading and talking with Taylor, and Layla spent the day getting to know Gambit, who she decided, wasn't as bad as Ivy was convinced. Late afternoon rolled around quickly and everyone started to get dressed for their night out. The boys were ready first in their slacks and button downs, while the girls, of course, took longer to dress. Will, Warren, Zach, Lash, Speed and Gambit kept each other company, lounging in the living room, waiting for their friends.

Dara and Magenta were the first ready. Dara in a long brown strapless dress, Magenta in a purple halter dress, that came down just beneath her knees. Shortly after they joined the boys waiting, Taylor, Layla and Ivy met them, too. Taylor wore a long satin blue gown with thick straps and a plunging neckline. Layla had bought a dark, forest green and gold dress that had a full skirt and a soft V-cut with thin spaghetti straps. Ivy felt quite unlike herself when she had been shopping with the girls. She had bought a full-length white dress with silver trim. It was an empire waist and a deep V-cut, unlike Layla's conservative one. It had thin straps, and two mid-thigh slits up the sides of both legs.

As soon as they had all gathered in the living room, Zach made the executive decision that it was time to go to the restaurant. It was a nice restaurant that was constantly busy, and he wanted to make sure they got a table together instead of two separate ones. While they were all loading in the van, Layla noticed that Gambit had taken his weird gloves off. She smiled at it since she had asked earlier in the day if he would leave them behind while they all went out to dinner. At first he'd said no because he never went anywhere without them, but she was glad that he had fulfilled her request.

They got to the restaurant and were lucky a large group had just left, vacating a table big enough to fill all eleven of them. Zach bowed, taking credit for the coincidence; he had, after all, convinced them to leave so they'd make it to the restaurant.

Everyone sat at the table with their respective partners, save Lash and Dara who sat next to each other, and Gambit, who sat at the head of the table. After ordering, everyone fell into conversation with those around them, and Gambit fought not to take out his cards. Dinner went by quickly, and before any of them noticed, dessert had come, too. Out of nowhere, Gambit excused himself from the table and went towards the entrance. Layla and Ivy both looked up and watched him exit the restaurant.

"Is he OK?" Layla looked concerned, while Ivy settled for annoyed.

"Does it matter?" Ivy took a sip of water.

"Ivy, you should go talk to him." Layla urged from the other side of the table, and Warren's attention was caught.

"Why her? Why don't you go talk to him? You guys were being buddy-buddy all day." He was too defensive for Layla's liking, so she snapped right back.

"Because I don't actually know him. If something's wrong, I wouldn't know how to help."

"What makes you think _I_ would?" Ivy scoffed. Layla pleaded again; she hated it when her friends were unhappy. Ivy scowled and left the table. She could feel Warren's anger rise and emit heat waves throughout the restaurant, but ignored it and followed Gambit outside.

Walking outside, Ivy looked around a few minutes before spotting Gambit across the street under a lamp post, chewing on a toothpick. Ivy crossed the street and marched over to him.

"Would it kill you to be social?" Gambit didn't even look at her, just continued to gnaw on the small pick. Ivy reached up and yanked it from his mouth.

"No need to be rude." He snatched it back from her, and put it back in his mouth.

"You're impossible. Why is it so hard for you to be normal?" She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

"You one to talk about being normal." Ivy dropped her arms and sighed. She turned to leave. "Why do you like dat boy?"

She stopped and turned around lazily, as if she hadn't heard him. "What?"

"Why do you like him?" Gambit took the pick out of his mouth again and stepped towards a shocked Ivy, who wasn't sure how to respond. "Because he takes care of you? Because he doesn't know you?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Warren does know me..." She shook her head confused.

"Ah knew you better dan he does, and you was silent at da time." He stepped towards her again, closing the last foot between them.

"Warren knows me better than you ever did." Ivy looked into Gambit's red and black eyes, and knew she wasn't fooling him.

"Gambit not da brightest, Cher, but he ain't da stupidest, eider." He lightly ran his fingertips up the side of her arm, and she shuddered as she tried to pull away.

Staring at Gambit's dark eyes, she knew she was paralyzed, and she knew she couldn't have moved if her life depended on it. He slid an intense, muscled, left arm around her lower back as his right hand reached her face. She involuntarily took a small step inward.

"Remy, this isn't right--" She stopped herself mid-sentence, and continued to stare at him.

"Ah been waiting for dis for years. No stopping now." He leaned down and she felt his hot breath tickle her cheek. He barely let his lips brush hers, before she lost her own control and kissed him; wildly and passionately.

They only shared a single kiss before she snapped back to reality and realized what she'd done. She pulled herself away from him completely, leaving him shocked and confused, but unable to hide his amusement.

"Gambit never knew it was in _you_." He smiled the charming way he did, and Ivy raised her fingertips to her lips, trying to wipe away what she'd done.

"Oh, God." She lost focus on Gambit, and felt a hot tear stain her face. Her voice cracked as she looked back up at him. "Rogue." Gambit's entire face fell flat and drained of color, until he was as pale as Ivy. "Warren." She stammered.

She took a few steps backwards before turning on her heel, and practically running across the street back to the restaurant. Once inside the door, she wiped away what was left of the tear, and composed herself. She sat back down at their table and was greeted with curious stares and raised eyebrows.

"Everything OK?" Warren was concerned and angry, but he wasn't sure which was more important.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Ivy smiled, and saw Warren relax a bit. She stifled a sigh of relief when he believed her, and she returned to her desert, which Zach had nibbled on.

Gambit stayed outside for a few minutes more, realizing what'd he'd just done to Rogue. He knew they weren't actually together, but he also loved her, and what'd he'd done was in no way acceptable. Or, he _thought_ he'd loved her... But when he'd seen Ivy in that white dress...

He rejoined the table, and sat down silently. He glanced at Layla who smiled at him, and he smiled in return; a fake, unconvincing smile, but a smile nonetheless. The drive back to the house was quiet, and once they'd all gotten inside, everyone went their separate ways to pack their things and straighten up the house. They had an early flight, and didn't want to worry about anything in the morning.

Ivy gathered all her things, shoving them into her duffel, not bothering to fold anything. She left a change of clothes and her toothbrush out for the morning, and changed out of her fancy dress into one of the bathrobes that Taylor had found in the linen closet. After she was packed, she went down the hall to take a quick shower so she didn't have to in the morning.

The water was hot and pierced her skin. She felt it run over her body, not leaving an inch dry, and she remembered kissing Gambit. Trying to forget the horrible thing she'd done to both her best friend and her new boyfriend, she picked up a bar of soap and began to wash her arms. She trailed the soap down the arm Gambit had run his fingers over and she threw it across the tub, sinking to her knees crying. She stayed huddled over herself for what seemed like hours; trying to forget, wishing she hadn't, praying no one would find out. Why did everyone always want her? Couldn't she just be with Warren? Why had Lash come into the picture. Why Gambit. Why Blake, or Dylan, or whatever his name was. She didn't even know anymore. She just wanted Gambit.

_Wait. Gambit?!_

After turning the water off and wrapping herself in the long white bathrobe, she forced herself to French braid her hair, even though she was having a hard time standing on her own. She felt weak and defeated and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. She left the bathroom and walked down the hallway, towel dragging on the floor behind her. She reached her door right as Warren came out of his.

"Hey." He smiled at her briefly, before it faded to concern. "Everything OK?"

She smiled tiredly, and took a few steps over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She took a deep breath in, memorizing his smell. _Old spice. _She smiled to herself. "I'm exhausted."

Warren gave a small chuckle, before releasing her from his hug. "Well, yeah. It's like, two-thirty. Go to sleep, I'll wake you up in a few hours." She nodded and squeezed his hand. She turned back around and turned her door handle. Warren had already started down the hall but turned abruptly. "Oh hey! Have you seen Gambit?" Ivy looked at her boy and shook her head silently. Warren grumbled something that Ivy couldn't hear and he smiled and continued down the hall.

Ivy went into her room, closing her door and locking it so she could change into her sweatpants and tank top.

"We need to talk."

Ivy screamed and fell back against the door, clutching her heart as it raced and pounded deep inside her chest. Gambit stood at the open window, back turned to the breeze, red and black eyes glowing, staring at the girl across the room. She quickly regained herself and stormed across the room hitting him repeatedly across his arms and chest angrily. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again! Do you hear me! You scared the shit out of me!" She slapped him upside his head.

"Stop! Cher!" He held her at arms distance so she couldn't reach him. They stared at each other for a moment before he let her go and she dashed back across the room so she was as far away from him as possible. She reached up and pulled her bathrobe closed farther for her own comfort, and rested her back against the wall.

"Talk fast." She wrapped the other arm around her waist so her body was as closed off from him as it could be.

"About tonight. Outside the restaurant. Gambit didn't--" He stopped short and rethought his sentence. "Ah shouldn't have done what Ah did, and Ah'm sorry."

"I kissed you. You shouldn't apologize. I should." She looked at the ground shamefully.

"Cher, Gambit put you in dat position." He took a step towards her hesitantly, but when she didn't make any move to back away he closed the distance between them and stood before her. "Gambit would never want to hurt you or da Rogue. Ah made a mistake. Rogue important." He looked as defeated as she felt, and she knew he felt it, too. Ivy didn't think twice before pushing herself off the door and hugging him tightly.

"The last thing in the world I want to do, is hurt Warren and Rogue." She let go a bit and looked up at the thief. "We can't say anything to anyone."

"Trust me, Cher. Ah would never." He smiled his normal, charming, sick smile that Ivy had grown to despise, and he left her alone in the room. As soon as he was gone, Ivy crawled into her bed, forsaking her sweats, and fell asleep.

She was woken the next morning by an abnormal amount of heat pulsing through her body. She opened her eyes the tiniest bit to see Warren lying next to her peacefully.

"I don't remember you being in here last night." She groaned into her pillow and shifted her body so she could face him.

"You owed me a morning." He smiled at her blushing cheeks. "We're not leaving for another hour, so I figured I could let you sleep a little more." She pulled herself closer to his chest and buried her face in it mumbling something about how thoughtful he was.

Six hours later, she was back in her own apartment helping Gambit set up the couch so he could sleep on it comfortably. After they finished, she retreated to her room and went to sleep. She felt like she hadn't had a good nights rest in years. It was hardly six-thirty in the evening when she was asleep. Gambit went to check on her once, and upon seeing her passed out on top of her bed and not in it, he laughed softly at her laziness, and pulled the covers over her. He returned to his makeshift bed and called the Professor to check in and let him know everything was OK.

14 chapters left. The countdown has begun.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

Two weeks had passed since the weekend in Naples. Gambit had remained in Maxville, per the Professor's orders, and there had been not a single argument between himself and Ivy. They had calmly, even pleasantly lived together, as if they were simply roommates. They went about their days' separately, and only at night would they share meals together in the apartments' kitchen, or they would join the rest of their gang for a night out.

Trent finally asked out Dara, who said yes, more so to make Warren jealous than to actually be with Trent. Layla had begun to drift closer to Gambit and farther from Will. Lash and Magenta shared a not-so-innocent kiss, which they decided to explore more and had steadily begun to date. And Zach developed a crush on Taylor, who remained happily attached to Speed. Life returned to its dramatic teenage life, and left it's Superhero world behind.

The first week in May had been warmer than usual. Zach attributed the weather to Global Warming, while the rest just decided it was nice out. The group had set a date for dinner on the first Friday of May to celebrate their last month left in Sky High, but somehow all ten of them, excluding Gambit and Ivy, had to cancel for one reason or another. After the cancellations, Ivy was ready to change back into her gym shorts and tank top when Gambit stopped her and convinced her that just because the rest of them canceled didn't mean they shouldn't still go celebrate. In Gambit's mind, days of the week that ended in "day" was a reason to celebrate.

He dragged Ivy across the entire town to a small, quaint Thai restaurant, all against her will. They sat in silence most of the time, occasionally exchanging an awkward sentence or two. They had never really been friends, mostly Gambit had just talked at her, so now that she would respond, both were completely unsure of what to say. Dinner passed slowly, and as soon as the check came, both Ivy and Gambit instinctively reached for it. Playing tug of war for a quick minute, Ivy gave up and let Gambit pretend he was a man.

Walking to the car, Ivy hadn't realized she'd left her jacket back in the restaurant until Gambit offered her his.

"I should go back and get it. I don't know when I'll be back on this side of town… Gambit." She gave him a semi-mean glare before smiling at his nonchalant shrug. She turned back towards the restaurant to see a waiter walking towards them, holding her black Guess jacket.

"You left this." He held it out to her, with a sweet smile.

She smiled back as she retrieved it from him. "Thanks." As she took the coat from him, her fingertips brushed his momentarily. A bright image floated into her mind and she struggled to make it out. She saw him standing with Dylan, half-changed, snarling and biting towards her. She felt herself backed into a corner, and she knew there was no way out.

The sensation was over before she had time to realize it really happened, and she stared at him in shock. He either hadn't realized it happened, or he was very good at hiding it. She quickly caught herself and smiled at him again. When returning the smile, his mouth curled in the right corner in a way that told her it was definitely the ladder.

"You and your boyfriend have a good night." He nodded his head curtly.

Gambit opened his mouth to reject the statement, and Ivy overrode it. "We will, thank you." The man straightened his serving outfit and went back the way he came. Ivy whipped around and grabbed Gambit's hand, leading him as fast as she could away from the restaurant without causing a scene, or being too obvious.

"Ah was unaware da Cher and Warren were not together anymo'." He was confused and amused.

"Absolute. One of Dylan's." She whispered under her breath, and felt Gambit tense under her hand. He walked faster, and squeezed her hand in return.

They returned to Ivy's apartment as fast as possible, locking and bolting the door behind them. Gambit raced to close the blinds, and Ivy went straight to her room to lock her ever-open window. She went back to the living room to find Gambit standing by the window, looking through a sliver of uncovered glass. When he saw her standing near him, looking over his shoulder he moved aside and looked at her.

"Cher, whatever you did to dem – dey no happy 'bout it." He kept his face blank and studied her reaction.

"I didn't know. I never thought it'd get this far. I don't understand why he won't let it go." She sank away from the window and plopped onto her coffee table, back hunched in defeat.

Gambit moved slowly over to the redwood table bearing the ocean-eyed Super. He sat down next to her and simply looked at her. A small tear slid from the corner of her eye and burst into a tiny flame on the back of her hand. Gambit hesitantly reached across their laps and enlaced his rough, calloused fingers in hers, giving a small, reassuring squeeze.

"Ivy." She looked up at Gambit devilish red and black eyes, glowing in the dark room. "It isn't your fault. Dere was no way of knowing it'd happen dis way. But it did. And now we need to fix it. Once and for all, if you ask Gambit."

She gave him a small smile. "You're right. It's time to end this." Her gaze went passed Gambit, and focused somewhere that wasn't her immediate apartment. "It's time to end this now." She stood silently and returned to her room.

Eeek, 13 left!


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

Following Ivy and Gambit's encounter with Dylan's recruit, Ivy decided it was time to train. Not just herself, and not just Warren, but everyone. Even Gambit. That Monday she gathered the entire group in the gym after school had been let out. Taylor, Speed, Lash, Trent, Dara, Layla, Will, Magenta, Zach and Warren all waited while Ivy and her aunt came in, followed by a queasy-looking Gambit. When they finally reached the others in the center of the gym floor, Layla automatically went straight to Gambit causing more than one eyebrow to raise in question.

"Are you OK?" Layla asked tentatively.

"Gambit doesn't like flying. Not at all." He raised his hand to his head, pressing gently on his temples.

"Here." Layla skipped over to the nearest window, a small vine snaking its way inside the crack left between the glass and the window sill. She returned holding a small flower, extending it out towards him. "For the pain and nausea. You should be OK in a few minutes." Gambit took the flower graciously, smiling the best he could without falling.

Will watched carefully, his anger slowly rising. Ivy caught Will's eye and she raised her eyebrow slowly and discreetly, catching his anger before it lashed out onto a most unaware and unexpecting recipient.

"So, I assume Ivy's told everyone why we're here." Principal Powers looked at each individual, receiving nods and a quick "yes" from each. "This is getting more and more serious. Whatever happened to give Dylan such incentive to go this far-" She paused, choosing her words wisely. "There must be more to it. It can't be as simple as we all believe, but until we know the real reasons behind his attacks and stalking, Ivy has suggested, and I agree wholeheartedly, that it's time you went beyond your powers.

"Super strength, speed, ice, even changing into your own Absolute," She looked at each student respectively, "It won't be enough for what we believe is coming. It's not about power anymore. I'm not quite sure what it's about, but everyone needs to be fully prepared to handle anything that comes their way, whether they have their powers at the ready or not."

Ivy took a step forward, holding a paper bag no one had noticed until then. She held out black Jujitsu robes to everyone, while Warren pulled his out of his backpack. Everyone changed quickly and when they returned to the gym, the training arena had been laid out and both Jamie and Coach Boomer had joined them.

"Coach B?" Zach looked around anxiously at everyone who was just as shocked as him.

Boomer stood in robes of his own, arms folded, looking to his left where Jamie stood in her robes. Both Ivy and Warren went to stand with the two teachers, Gambit joining them at the front when he emerged from changing.

"I'm sorry." Silence met Ivy's apology. "I'm sorry for involving you all in this. That was never my intention. But now you are. And I won't let you down. I can't. It's going to take a lot of teamwork, and a lot of sweat and bruises, but we can do this. Together. I need your help, I can't hold him off alone. Just like Principal Powers said, it's gone beyond me not liking him back. I'm not sure what his motive is anymore, but it's enough that he's willing to kill for it. He almost did." She glanced at Warren. "But it has to end. It has to stop and it has to stop now. I won't be responsible for anyone else's death. Not anymore."

She shook her head and left the group at front taking her place on the floor mat, everyone following in suit. Warren stood beside her, Taylor opposite her. Gambit stood opposite Warren, Layla opposite Trent, Lash opposite Zach, Will opposite Magenta and Speed opposite Dara. Boomer and Jamie were the last to take their places across from one another. They started with bowing, the young students following their example. And then they began.

Short chapter, but another one is coming soon!

Tell me what you think!


	39. Chapter 39

For you, Miser. =)

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

Over three hours later, everyone dripping sweat and tending bruises and or cuts, most shirtless, all exhausted, they were finished. No one moved to change, they all sat in a circle on the floor mats silently with their ice packs.

Ivy stood by the window Layla's vine had crept through just hours before. Boomer joined her after a few minutes of solitude.

"We're all here for you, Discord. Every one of us." He put his hand on her shoulder, as if all was forgotten and she looked at him the way she used to when she was little; like he was a father. She smiled sadly, the smallest tear welling in her left eye, and she moved to rest her head on his shoulder. "Your mother would be so proud of you." His hand moved up from her shoulder to wipe the sweat and hair off her forehead.

"Thanks, Tommy." She wiped her tiny tear from her cheek hastily.

Jamie and the rest looked over to Boomer's unlikely display of paternal affection, and Jamie smiled while the rest were confused with such a lack of energy that not even Zach could inquire as to the odd scene before them.

After another moment of quiet, Boomer pat Ivy on the back gently and nodded his head in the direction of the others. She sighed slightly and followed him to their circle.

After they sat, Trent was the first to change the topic from silence. "Anyone want to catch a movie?" Dara chuckled slightly and grabbed an ace bandage from the center of the circle. "What? I'm so serious, guys."

"I could go for some light entertainment. Something funny maybe?" Taylor shrugged before letting out a loud groan in pain. Speed was at her back, giving her a gentle massage within seconds of her expression.

Lash shook his head. "Nah, I got a huge paper I gotta write. I forgot all about it until this morning." Magenta and Will nodded in agreement.

"Warren?" Trent looked at the lazy pyro.

Warren looked at Ivy who was watching Will watch Layla take care of a gash on Gambit's forehead.

"Warren?" Trent asked again, waving his hand in the boy's face.

"No. Thanks." He never took his attention from Ivy.

"Hey, Will, can I have that extra ice pack that's next to you?" Layla pointed at the blue plastic that was melting all over the mat.

"Yeah. Sure." Will threw it as hard as he could at Gambit, who in turn, went flying backward at the force of the throw. Will stood and left for the locker room without a word. Ivy bounced up in a second and ran after him, Warren watching everything without uttering a word.

"Will?" Ivy slowly walked into the locker room, hoping nothing went flying at her head. "Will, are you here?" She found him sitting in a back corner of the room, ringing his shirt, twisting it back and forth obviously imagining it as Gambit's neck.

She sat down next to him. "Warren said he thought he saw something there. I didn't believe him. I guess he was right." Will threw his shirt down onto the ground. "Fucking Cajun." He muttered his curse under his breath, and Ivy tried hard not to smile at his foul language.

"I don't think it's that bad. They're friends, she was helping him out a little." Ivy tried to help, but Will just shook his head.

"No, that was not a friend-help. That was the way she used to help me." His sigh sounded so defeated, and Ivy couldn't help but take his hand in hers and squeeze it gently, instantly remembering her dinner with Gambit and his reassuring squeeze after they left Dylan's recruit. "What do I do?" Will never looked at her, but the sound of his voice pulled her from her memories.

"I can't tell you what to do, Will. I wish I could offer some advice or something wise and witty, but all I can tell is that you need to do what you think is right. You can talk to her about it or not, that's up to you."

"Should I break up with her?" He finally broke his staring contest with the floor and looked at Ivy with pleading eyes.

"I wouldn't look at the option until you talk to her and maybe let her explain. Hear her side of the story?" She shrugged a little.

"Hear how she feels about some smooth-talking imbecile? No, thanks." His eyes fell back to the floor.

"Well, that's up to you. I can't help any more without being bias one way or the other." She squeezed his hand one more time before getting up.

"I'm sorry for you, too." Will looked at her, with a glint in his eye.

Ivy turned and stared at Will in shock. "Excuse me?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, you know, it's Gambit. I know you guys were kinda close at one point." He shrugged this time, trying his hardest to be nonchalant about it.

"A very long time ago. It's not the way you think now." She said, taken aback by his bluntness.

"You mean not the way I saw." He stood now, leveling out with her. "You forget what I saw in Naples."

Ivy took a step forward threateningly. "What's your point? I've done nothing to you, William. You have no right to involve me in your misery. Me or Warren for that matter."

He backed down after a moment, shaking his head in apology. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just- I don't know what came over me. You and Warren aren't part of this. It wouldn't matter anyway."

"What wouldn't matter?" Warren came in silently.

"Nothing." Will shook his head and picked up wrinkled shirt off the floor. "I'll see you around." He stalked out of the locker room, bag slung over his shoulder, looking more miserable than they had ever seen him.

"He OK?" Warren went to Ivy putting a hand on her elbow gently.

"No, he's really not. Poor guy." It was her turn to look at the floor.

"He's a lot tougher than people think. They think he's just some wimp with a hell of a lot of power. But Stronghold could take anything on." Warren smiled, proud of his best friend in a way Ivy had never seen.

"I'll bet." She smiled at Warren, sweetly putting her hand on his cheek. His face melted into the palm of her cool, white skin, and he let out a soft grunt. "Let's head home. Maybe get some dinner?" Warren nodded and he wrapped his strong arm around her waist before they walked out of the chilly locker room.

Ahhhh! 11 left! I'm starting to feel sad at the idea of ending it... =(

And I'm not sure if it's the website or my computer that isn't allowing me to separate my comments from the writing, so sorry if there's confusion!


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

Magenta sat with Layla silently, as Ivy brought in a cup of hot tea from the kitchen. She had never realized how few times she had been to Layla's house in the time they'd been friends. Layla stared blankly towards the television, a small shiver passing over her. Magenta immediately reached for a blanket on her side of the couch. Ivy sat across from Layla on the coffee table, handing her the mug of tea. Their bruises had become increasingly less noticeable since the afternoon, courtesy of Nurse Spex offering her help so the group didn't walk around looking poorly. Ivy looked at Layla's hollow gaze and noticed that she wasn't crying. She wondered if it was shock, if she was fighting it, or if she just couldn't cry over her break up with Will.

"So, is there something going on between you and Gambit?" Magenta was unusually soft in speaking to Layla; she didn't want to make matters worse.

Layla shook her head. "He's been a friend. I didn't realize that wasn't allowed anymore. I haven't treated him any differently than I have anyone else, I don't think." She shifted her gaze down towards the tea.

"Do you want something to be there?" Magenta brushed a wisp of hair off Layla's face gently.

"I don't know. I know he's sort of dating Rogue, and I know I care about him as more than a friend, but I don't know how he feels. He's hard to read." She shrugged.

Magenta looked at Ivy who shrugged as well.

"You guys should get going, it's getting late and we all still have homework." Layla sipped her tea carefully to avoid burning her tongue.

Magenta and Ivy simply nodded and both kissed her on the forehead, extending invitations to her to call them at any time if she needed anything. They left the house and stood awkwardly on the sidewalk staring at Layla's front door.

"Wow." Magenta breathed.

"Yeah." Ivy shifted her weight.

"I never actually thought something could break them up. Especially another person, you know?"

"Life's unexpected like that." Ivy checked her cell phone.

"Anything from Warren?" Magenta leaned over to see the screen.

Ivy finished a text before responding. "He's at Will's right now trying to talk some sense into him. But we all know how good Warren is at that. They're probably sitting on the couch playing video games, ignoring any means of conversing."

Magenta gave a half-hearted laugh before looking again at Layla's front door.

"Did you need a ride?" Ivy took her keys from her side bag and headed towards her car.

Magenta pulled her sweater on, shaking her head. "No, I'm just heading over to Lash's. I'll be fine walking."

Ivy eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure? I really don't mind."

Magenta smiled, "It's totally cool, Ivy, really. Besides, I could use some exercise. This afternoon was a piece of cake." She sarcastically smiled as Ivy made a disgusted face.

"You're sick, you know that?" She unlocked her door as Magenta laughed and walked down the street, not turning to wave, simply raising her hand above her head.

It was dark when she reached Lash's street. The few street lamps provided little light, and Magenta was thoroughly exhausted so the darkness was not helping her stay awake. She smiled a bit at the thought of crawling into bed with Lash and falling asleep in his arms, suddenly becoming grateful for having such laid back parents. She yawned loudly shutting her eyes for barely a moment, but when she reopened them a man was standing in front of her, sparkling green eyes bearing into hers.

"You must be the guinea pig. Magenta." Dylan smiled sickly and reached out his hand, brushing a strand of purple hair that was near her face.

Magenta dropped her bag instantly and whipped around to run the other direction, when Dylan caught her with a fistful of her hair, dragging her back into him.

"Shh, shh." He ran his hand along her cheek as she opened her mouth to scream, and he hooked his finger on the inside of her cheek, pressing against her jawbone and throwing her to the ground.

-10 Chapters left. Nearing the end!


	41. Chapter 41

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High._**

Ivy and Gambit sat on the couch together, silently drinking their coffee. Ivy's attention drifted out the window to the lights that lined the street, especially the flickering one at the end of the block. The dark sky was starless, and Ivy's thoughts went to her mother. She missed Louisiana, she missed their little house and the tiny forest behind it. She missed her room and her stuffed animals. She missed waking up to bacon and eggs every morning, and she missed having a home and a family. She knew Maxville was her home now, and she knew her friends were her family. But her mother...

Gambit stared at his playing cards on the coffee table that he laid out, but didn't touch any of them. He reached a hand to flip over a card, but retracted it before it completed the mission. He looked over the face-up cards he had, and his gaze landed on the Queen of Hearts. He took a deep breath and looked at Ivy.

"Is da cher OK?" He took a sip of coffee as Ivy turned to look at him solemnly.

"As OK as she can be, I guess. It was sort of a shock for her, I think." She copied Gambit's example and took a sip of her own coffee. They sat in silence for what could have been hours, neither knowing when they fell asleep, or how Ivy ended up curled on top of Gambit, locked in his arms. Her dreams took her back to the X-Mansion and the last time she fell asleep with Gambit, but that was as far as she got.

A loud, anxious knock pulled them both from their dream-states, and they nervously looked at each other, not realizing how close their heads and faces had been to each other. His hot breath tickled her nose, and she paused for a moment to look into his black and red eyes. She shifted closer to him, lips almost brushing, and the knocking grew louder. Ivy scrambled to get up, instantly straightening herself out, as Gambit did the same.

Ivy opened the door cautiously but it was kicked open the rest of the way by Lash, carrying a bruised and bleeding Magenta.

"Oh my -" Ivy jumped at the couch, throwing the pillows to the ground, spreading a blanket over the cushions. Lash ran into the kitchen stacking towels and filling a bowl with steaming hot water from the faucet, while Gambit grabbed the phone and dialed Layla's number.

"What happened?" Ivy took a towel from Lash.

"Cher, dis Gambit."

"I don't know, I found her across the street from my house like this."

"Magenta was attacked."

"She was an hour late so I went outside and she was just there."

"Bring the others." Gambit put his phone on the counter, before finding another towel in a drawer and aiding Lash and Ivy in cleaning Magenta.

Lash began to panic and sweat, eyes focused solely on Magenta, fighting the scream of anger and anguish that was rising in his throat.

"Can she talk at all?" Ivy wiped blood clear of a large gash on her arm, wrapping the towel around it tightly. "Gambit, help me." Gambit moved closer and was there in an instant, helping to wrap the arm.

"She's been slipping in and out of consciousness, I can't tell what she's saying. It mostly sounds like whimpers." Lash held her hand frantically, squeezing and rubbing the bloodied skin. "Baby, please come back." A tear rolled down his cheek, and he wiped it with a stained sleeve.

They wrapped all the large wounds, wiping the smaller ones and putting dabs of anti-bacterial cream here and there. Another quick knock came at the door, and Gambit opened it, holding a deck of cards in his hand. The entire group rushed inside, Zach leading the way. Ivy moved aside so Zach could be by Magenta, as Warren pulled her into a tight embrace, asking if she was OK, kissing her forehead. Taylor and Speed knelt by Lash, Taylor wrapping her arm around him, Speed simply being there. Layla stood with Trent on the opposite side of the room as Will. Dara was standing stone still by the door. Everyone was silent.

"It was Dylan." They all looked at her. "He came home, and went straight to the bathroom. There was a towel in the hamper. It had blood on it. Her blood." Dara looked sick.

"How do you know? Are you sure?" Taylor stood and went over to the girl, comforting her as she fought the disturbing memory.

Dara looked at Taylor, then at Ivy, growing paler. "The scent." Ivy dropped to her knees by Magenta, letting her head fall into her hands. "This is all my fault." Zach stood up and went towards the black fake Lazy Boy.

"I'm gonna kill him." Everyone looked at Zach, who had never been so serious in the entire time they'd known him. "I'm going to fucking kill him for what he did to her."

A light glow began to emit itself from Zach's center, slowly spreading outward. It engulfed his entire body, and still continued to spread beyond his being. The light barely began to touch the black chair, and pieces of the fabric were lifted from it, beginning to dissolve and fade in the yellow light, turning to nothing; simply vanishing.

"Oh my gosh..." Layla's voice was soft and everyone in the room echoed her statement with their faces. Even Zach looked down to see what they were looking at. He saw his glowing light dissolve more of the chair, and his face widened in shock, the light disappearing immediately.

"I'll call Principal Powers." Warren squeezed Ivy's hand and left the room.

Ivy went to Zach, sadness and grief covering her face, her hair fading to black. "Zach, I am so sorry." She whispered, but even then her voice cracked.

He hugged her, saying nothing. The two wouldn't let go, sharing each others pain and loss, understanding and forgiving. Warren returned a moment later, quietly. "She wants all of us to stay here tonight. She doesn't think we should be alone. A private bus will be here in the morning to take us all to school, including Magenta. She said to go straight to the gym." Warrens voice, too, was quiet and sad, and everyone nodded their comprehension.

Ivy and Gambit pulled every spare blanket and pillow there was in the apartment, while Trent and Layla closed blinds and windows in every room. Lash stayed holding Magenta's hand, and Taylor brewed a fresh pot of coffee and some tea, while the rest helped move some furniture to make room to sleep.

When everyone was settled with sleeping arrangements, Ivy retreated to her room, Warren following silently. He walked into her room for the first time, noting the horrible circumstance under which it happened. They sat at the edge of the bed, not saying a word. Ivy's expression broke, and she began crying silently, Warren immediately wrapping her in his arms.

"C'mon, lay back with me." He pulled her gently onto the bed, and she cried into his chest as he stroked her arm and whispered comforting words.

_**10 Chapters left...**_


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.**

The group entered into the gym the next morning, Magenta hardly walking but being supported by Will and Lash. They walked quietly, the only sounds being made by their footsteps. Warren and Trent held the gym doors open as they filed in solemnly, all in the same clothes they had been in the night before.

Evelyn, Jamie, Boomer, Nurse Spex and a second man wearing jeans and a black leather jacket with a circled X on it, whom none – save Ivy and Gamit - could identify, stood waiting in the center. Will and Lash sat Magenta on a bleacher, the group sitting around her, Lash steadying her. She looked at him with a weak smile. He couldn't bring himself to smile back, just give her hand a gentle squeeze. Ivy and Gambit went straight to the compact, stubble-ridden man. Gambit and the man nodded at each other, before he turned his attention to a sheepish Ivy, who stood just behind Gambit. The man smiled slightly at Ivy, who in turn stepped towards him and engulfed him a hug. The seven of them walked towards the bleachers silently, Ivy sitting with the group.

Ivy and Layla recounted the last time they saw Magenta, and Lash told his first time through their arrival at Ivy's. The story stopped there, as Evelyn turned to Jamie and the man. No words were spoken, and Evelyn looked back to the group. Dara explained her conclusion, and Zach recalled the power surge he experienced in more detail than Warren had given the night before.

Evelyn went straight to Zach's powers. "As a precaution to your health and safety, I asked Professor Xavier to send Logan," she gestured towards the man, "also known as Wolverine to help keep an eye on all of you. In addition, Zach, would you?" She outstretched her hand, and Zach stood warily, no one noticing Boomer and Jamie's disappearance.

Nurse Spex moved to sit with Magenta running a soft, wrinkled hand over the cuts and bruises, minimizing their size and swelling significantly. Boomer and Jamie returned with props from Save the Citizen; a dumpster, trash can and mail box. They set the props within a safe distance from Zach, who now stood in the center of the gym, just a few feet from Logan. Ivy stood by her aunt Evelyn, taking her hand.

"Zach, I want you to concentrate as hard as you can on the feelings you had last night. I want you to remember everything you can, not holding anything back. We need to know to what extent your power reaches. Logan has healing abilities, so should your power affect him, he will not be harmed, unlike the rest of us." Zach nervously looked at Principal Powers, without saying anything. "It's all right, Zach." She smiled encouragingly.

Zach let out a deep breath, closed his eyes and clenched his fists, his glow forming immediately. The yellow light grew bright and the others felt heat waves roll off his body. He opened his eyes, which began to glow his neon yellow, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, the light spreading outward as quick as lightening, dissolving the props, but not harming Logan. The light spread past Logan onto the others sitting on the bleachers as they gripped the edges, unsure of what to expect. The light passed through them, and the bleachers themselves began to shake and dissolve. Zach released his fists as he saw the effects, and the light dispersed, dissolving into the air, as the props had done.

"It seems that humans cannot be harmed by your mutation, lucky for the rest of us. The dumpster on the other hand..." Evelyn's attention drifted to the empty space in which the dumpster had disappeared from.

"Why now?" Zach came back to the rest of the group.

"Powers mutate when there is heightened emotional stress." Logan took a cigar from his coat pocket, and replaced it immediately at Evelyn's look.

"Has anyone else experienced a mutation?" Evelyn looked back at the group.

"Warren did back before winter break, remember? It sort of went unnoticed with the Lash incident." Taylor looked over at Warren, whose face became an embarrassed red.

"Yes, yes I remember. Mr. Peace." Evelyn motioned for him to take Zach's spot in the center of the gym.

Warren did as he was asked, and stood silently with his hands in his pockets. He looked at the group staring back at him.

"Any day now, Bub." Logan tapped his foot impatiently.

Warren's gaze drifted over Dara, who shifted uncomfortably on the bleachers, Trent who sneezed loudly, Layla handing him a tissue, Will watching Layla from the other side of the group, Speed who gently massaged Taylor's shoulder, Lash sitting by Magenta who was sitting without help next to Nurse Spex. Zach sitting behind her protectively. Boomer and Jamie stood by Principal Powers and Logan, and Ivy took a seat back on the bleachers by Gambit.

Gambit.

How Warren hated Gambit.

A fist lit.

He hated the way Gambit talked with his accent.

The other fist lit.

He hated the way Gambit strutted instead of walked.

The fire traveled up his arms.

He hated how Gambit's charming smile got Layla's attention.

Fire encased his feet.

He hated that Layla _gave_ him that attention.

The fire spread up his legs.

He hated how _Ivy _gave him that attention.

The fire met and engulfed his chest.

He hated seeing them together.

Knowing they spent nights alone in her apartment.

Knowing the kind of playboy Gambit was.

Knowing how he infuriated Ivy.

Knowing that Warren himself used to infuriate her the same way.

The fire seemed to scream as it traveled up his chest, licking flames circling around his head until not an inch was sans it. He stared at Gambit, at the card Gambit flipped over in his hand. How he wanted to burn the cards.

Gambit made a sound of pain as his cards erupted in flames, looking up at Warren who smirked slightly through his armor of fire.

Warren released his thoughts, and the fire died down, returning to his fists and feet in the reverse pattern of which it traveled. He went back to the bleachers and took a seat far from Gambit, and far from Ivy as well. Ivy looked at Warren, who looked straight ahead. Gambit saw the hurt look on her face, and his hand twitched as he tried not to console her.

Logan looked towards Gambit, not seeing the twitch, as he rubbed his singed fingers on his pants, and made an effort not to smile or high-five Warren.

Principal Powers turned to face the group again. "Has anyone else experienced any sort of mutation in their powers?" Everyone looked around at each other, except for Layla. Her attention fell to her knees, as she shyly raised her hand. "Layla? Why didn't you mention it earlier? When did it happen?" Principal Powers bombarded her with questions, as all her friends looked at her slightly offended that she hadn't come forth sooner.

Layla's face grew pink as all eyes were on her. "October." She seemed to whisper.

"October?" Principal Powers was beyond shocked. "When? What caused it?"

Layla could not bring herself to look up. She meekly said, "Homecoming night." Will shot a glance over at her, which everyone noticed. They all looked back and forth from one to the other.

"What happened on Homecoming night?" Principal Powers was perplexed and not getting the answers she wanted.

Layla looked over at Will, cheeks burning red.

Principal Powers looked at Will as well, an eyebrow raised. "Will?" She furrowed her brows and opened her mouth to speak again when Ivy forced a cough awkwardly, diverting her attention to her niece who gave her a most obvious look.

"Oh." Principal Powers said flatly before her eyebrows raised dramatically and her face dropped. She repeated, "Oh! Well. Um. Hm." She herself blushed and fidgeted. "Layla, would you show us?" She was soft in her request, realizing how difficult it must have been to come out the way she had in front of everyone.

Layla stood and made her way down the bleachers, cheeks still embarrassed red and burning to her ears. She stretched her palm flat out before her, facing the hardwood floors. The planks began to shift and roll, contorting beneath her as she raised into the air and levitated slightly above them. The wood cracked and hissed as it parted and rumbled, creating a ditch in front of her, that reached down to the cement foundation. She took a few deep breaths before returning the flooring to it's original structure, and lowering herself back to the ground.

"Dirt and earth mostly. I can do wood, too, but it takes a lot more concentration. The levitation is just -" She stopped, unsure of what to say, and shrugged instead.

"That's some power." Logan looked at her with a raised eyebrow, before glancing at Will who was still in complete shock.

"Have you tried to do different things with it?" Principal Powers walked towards her.

Layla nodded. "I've tried to do a lot. The most I've gotten was a really deep canyon in my backyard. I can't do much else. Just shake it up and move it around." Principal Powers nodded, pat her on the shoulder and motioned for her to take a seat.

"Anyone else?" Principal Powers looked around expectantly.

Speed shrugged. "I can run up buildings. That's not new, so much as a lot of practice. And falling."

"Yes, I remember we talked about it a little earlier in the year. Glad to know you've made progress." Principal Powers nodded her head at him and smiled proudly. "Actually, I would like to propose an idea for you, Tony." She motioned at Warren to stand and join her. "I would like you to try and create barriers. Mr. Peace this shouldn't be a problem for you and your new found -" She glanced at Gambit's cards, "- control."

Warren raised an eyebrow. "A barrier? Like a wall?"

"Or a circle, or something that could prevent Tony from passing through." She turned to Speed. "You already have speed, now let's see if we can make you impervious to fire by use of that speed."

Speed gulped hard, looking at Warren who simply smirked in return.

**Getting so close to the end!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.**

The entire school day passed, no one entering or exiting the gym, except for lunch. They worked together to strengthen their powers, new and old, and worked more on the physical combat they had begun learning just a day before, though it seemed like forever ago. It was well past five o'clock when they finally stopped for the day, and Magenta who had stayed seated throughout the entire day looked towards Principal Powers for answers.

"Why did he attack me?" The group all stopped, talking ceased and silence ensued.

Principal Powers went to the bleachers and sat by Magenta. "I don't know." She was dignified and gentle in her answer, her honesty showing. "Maybe to scare Ivy. Maybe to scare you. At this point, I'm just not sure."

Magenta nodded fighting back a tear, and Principal Powers pulled her into a maternal hug.

Warren shifted his weight and looked to Principal Powers. "Do you think he knows about the Seer?" She immediately looked at him, all eyes following, Ivy taking a step towards him.

"I hadn't even remembered that." She turned to Logan. "Contact Charles, see if he can find anything about a precognitive Absolute and a vision about a white panther. Ask if there is any way to find out who knows about it." Logan stepped forward warningly. "Please, Logan." She was not asking, simply demanding that he not argue.

"It might be neither here nor there, but I can't help but think that this is all too crazy and over-dramatic than being rejected by a girl you have a crush on."

"You may be quite right, Warren." She called him by his first name respectfully; the first time she had ever called him Warren in the four years she had been his principal. His back slightly straightened with pride. "I want all of you to go straight home, with another person. I do not want any of you to be alone until further notified. If something were to happen, as of right now we're all stronger together than we are apart." The group nodded and walked to the doors, discussing who would stay at who's house.

"Dara can stay with me. I don't want her at her house with Dylan there. And Tony will be with me, too. We can protect her if he comes." Taylor put her arm around the freshmen that she treated as a sister, who instinctively hugged back.

Lash steadied Magenta. "You all know where I'll be. Zach, I think we'd both like for you to stay, too." Magenta nodded her agreement, and Zach was there in an instant at her other side, taking her hand.

Layla and Trent stuck together, and decided they'd be safer at her house since his parents were both non-Supers. Will began to protest when Warren came forward. "Stronghold. You're with me." He ended the conversation quickly, Will not arguing.

Ivy stopped and looked at him in shock. "Warren- Uh-" She stammered, not knowing what to say.

He kept walking, telling her over his shoulder, "You've got Gambit." He pushed the gym doors open and Will followed immediately. Ivy looked towards Taylor who was just as shocked as she was.

Logan came up beside Gambit. "Rogue is on her way. The Professor was able to locate a branch of the Clan a few miles south. The three of us are going."

Ivy looked at Gambit, who's entire body has tensed at the mention of Rogue. "I'm coming, too."

Logan looked at Ivy pointedly. "This isn't socializing time, Ivy. We're going to stake out the branch and see just what we're up against."

Ivy stood indignantly, arms crossed. "I know that, Logan. This entire mess is because of me, I'm coming. Besides Evelyn just said no one is to be alone. Seeing as how Warren is gone..." She trailed off at his inflamed anger.

"I _knew_ he was your boyfriend." Logan scowled and stalked off.


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.**

"Nothing?" Layla rubbed the back of her neck nervously as everyone shifted their weight and looked back and forth at each other.

Ivy shook her head. Warren stood on the other side of the group, listening intently, pokerface on. Will, Taylor, Speed and Dara to Ivy's right, Layla, Trent, Lash, Magenta and Zach to her left.

"Logan and Rogue went back to the mansion to regroup and talk to the professor, Gambit is seeing what he can dig up downtown. We got to the warehouse the professor directed us to and there was nothing there. It was covered in dust and cobwebs. We thought maybe it was underground, but it was just sewers." Ivy ran a slender hand through her white hair, shoulders hunching in defeat. "I just don't know what to do."

Everyone sat silently for a few moments before Dara spoke. "Well, I'll see if I can pry anything out of Dylan. He's been really secretive and shifty lately, maybe I can play the dumb little sister card?"

Taylor tensed and looked at the freshman. "I don't like that. There's got to be something else."

Will shook his head. "We're starting to run out of time. Look at Magenta." His voice grew wild and anxious, while everyone watched him in shock. William Stronghold had never been one to yell. "I'm not going to sit on my ass waiting for the next one of us to get attacked."

Lash cringed and clenched his fist, trying to take deep breaths. "I agree with Taylor. There's no need to put Dara in that kind of situation if it's not necessary."

"He's going to get his. The faster the better. I want her to try." Zach was cold. He had been since Blake attacked Magenta two nights before. He hadn't smiled, hadn't cracked a joke. He was present physically, but emotionally he was no longer the same joker the group knew.

Layla watched everyone spew their opinions while Dara stood and waited patiently for the verdict. It was her life and her brother, but it was _their_ war now. "I don't think it could hurt. Dara's strong, she can take care of herself."

"Dylan's stronger. We all know it, she shouldn't be sent in alone to deal with him." Trent raised his voice, his face growing red and furious.

Speed and Warren looked at each other, silently knowing they had the same feelings. "We vote no. She shouldn't have to do it alone." Warren nodded, agreeing with Speed's every word.

Ivy looked around, noticing everyone's eyes had fallen on her. She knew that no matter what the tally was of Yes and No's, her decision would be final. She looked at each one of her friends, taking their faces in hoping she would never forget the way they all laughed and smiled. She finally looked at Dara. Dara stood stone still, her black hair and green eyes mirroring Dylan's completely. She was short and petite, and Ivy knew that if Dylan wanted, he could snap her in half.

"Do it. But please, Dara." Ivy took a few steps towards her, and wrapped the girl in her arms. "Please be careful."

Dara nodded her compliance. "I promise. I'll be in touch."

Dara returned home that evening, intent on finding out as much as she could about her brother and the Clan's plans. She sat in her room for hours, homework laid out, pretending to study so as not to be suspicious when he made his nightly visit to her room to say goodnight.

* * *

Trent and Layla had made plans to meet at her house after he had grabbed some extra changes of clothes, and explained to his parents about the huge "end of the year project" that he and Layla had been assigned to. He grabbed a bag and shoved socks, boxers, an extra pair of pants, t-shirts, a toothbrush and anything he could think of to take over to Layla's.

* * *

Dylan knocked at Dara's door softly, almost gently. He opened it to see his little sister reading her Hero's History textbook. She looked up and gave him that smile that told him her could do no wrong as her brother.

* * *

Trent only lived a few blocks from Layla, but during these unsure, scared times it was enough for even a powerful electro super such as himself to hurry up and walk faster. He turned a few corners, knowing the safety of Layla's house was only two more short blocks. He took a deep breath of the chilly air.

* * *

"Where have you been, Dylan? What's going on? I need to know." Dara pleaded her older brother as he took a seat on her bed.

"Are you sure? Once I tell you, there's no going back." Dylan was a monster, Dara knew it. But the sincerity and love for his sister in his voice was unmistakable. He was trying to protect her.

* * *

A crow's talon swiped at Trent's chest, beak digging into his shoulder. His hands started crackling, blue electricity circling around them. The crow lifted its over-sized head into the light where Trent could see it's hollow black eyes mock laughing at him. Trent sent a surge towards the bird, which cackled at him and tore through his other arm.

* * *

"Gambit needs to go." Ivy looked up at her doorway to see a disheveled, angry Warren staring back at her.

"Excuse me?" She furrowed her brows, her temper rising.

* * *

"Something is coming, Little Sister. The Clan. _Our_ Clan. We're taking back the world, one super at a time. We're going to kill them all. All the supers, all the mutants, all the humans. Until there's just us. No one can stop up. No prophesized kitty-cat's. No telepaths, no men in capes, and no tree-huggers. No one." Dara felt a shadow encase her heart as it sank at her brothers words.

* * *

Ivy stared at her boyfriend. "Gambit has every right to be here."

Warren stared back, knowing he couldn't back down. Knowing this was one fight he could not give her the satisfaction of winning. "I don't want him here. He's too close to you, spending too much time with you. I'm unhappy about it, and I'm pretty sure Rogue would be too if she knew it was just the two of you." Warren crossed his arms and stood taller. "He needs to go, Ivy. He needs to go now." He turned his back and shut her bedroom door.

* * *

Trent limped the last two blocks to Layla's. Not bothering to wait for someone to answer the doorbell he pushed the door open, realizing midway it was unlocked. Layla stood right inside the door, nervously pacing back and forth until her eyes landed on Trent who collapsed as soon as he passed the door frame. Layla screamed and ran to his side, keeping him from hitting his head on the cold marble floor.

* * *

Dylan watched his sisters horrified expression as she listened to him speak. He wished more than ever he hadn't told her. There was nothing he could do now, and he knew it, but he wished with all his might that she would be safe from whatever was to come. "You don't need to join the cause, Little Sister. As long as you're here when we win. As long as you're there with me at the end for them and the beginning for us." He kissed her forehead and left the room.

* * *

Layla cared for Trent's bruises and gashes, growing all the herbs she needed to help him recover faster. Tears burned her eyes as he began to cough blood. He reached into his mouth and pulled a loose molar, letting it fall onto the blood-stained rags beneath them before he lost consciousness.

* * *

Gambit folded his spare clothes, neatly packing them into the one bag he had brought with him. He stopped for a moment and turned the Queen of Hearts over in his fingers.

"You're leaving?" Ivy stood silently behind him, watching him. He never turned to face her.

"He does not want Gambit here." Gambit folded the blankets he had used and left them on the coffee table. He picked up his bag and went for the door.

"Remy-" Ivy started, and the door shut.

* * *

Speed and Taylor left the Korean Barbecue takeout restaurant around the corner from his apartment. The walked quickly and quietly, trying not to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. Speed took out his key to unlock the black iron gate and whipped around at the sound of Taylors scream. A burly man held her by the throat, squeezing tighter and tighter. Speed dropped the bags of food and ran behind the man, kicking him in the shins. Taylor fell to the ground, gasping for air, still clawing her her throat. The man was up in an instant and picked Speed up carelessly, throwing him against the black gate.

* * *

Dara darted off her bed, grabbing her packed bag under her bed, tip-toeing to her bedroom door. She opened it a crack to peer down the hallway at Dylan's room one last time.

"Listen to the big clock, Tick tock, tick tock, Look at its hands move, Round and round, Listen to its bell chime, Ding dong, ding dong." She heard him whispering the old children's rhyme to himself, and she shut the door silently. Tip-toeing back across the room she opened the window, bag strapped to her back.

* * *

Taylor shot spikes of ice at the burly man who came running at her as if nothing could stop him. He pounded his fist into her face, and she stumbled back. Regaining as much balance as she could, she landed a roundhouse kick to his stomach, as Speed ran at him full speed, practically sweeping the man off his feet. Speed ran the man as far away as he could before dropping him to the ground and running back to find Taylor bruised and swollen, leaning against the black iron gate.

* * *

Ivy stood alone in her apartment, lonely and afraid for her friends.

* * *

Dara climbed down her window, and walked down the empty, dark street, not once glancing back towards home.

* * *

Layla shuddered and cried, knees tucked into her chest in a corner of her living room as Trent lay sleeping on her couch.

* * *

Speed and Taylor held each other in Speeds dark bedroom, ice packs covering their bodies.

* * *

Warren lay silently on his bed, staring up at his ceiling, gruffly rolling over to face the wall.

* * *

Gambit flipped the Queen of Hearts over in his fingers. A blonde waitress sat a beer down on the table in front of him. He looked up at her seductive smile. He nodded his head in the direction of the door, and she followed him out, dropping her apron on the floor.

**6 chapters left! Probably be finished in a couple weeks. Hang onto your hats, folks!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Sky High.**

Evelyn was coming to her wits end. She stared at her beaten and broken students as Nurse Spex made her rounds between Trent, Speed and Taylor healing and x-raying them to make sure there were no severely broken bones. Evelyn looked at Logan, Boomer and Jamie who stood with her. Pity, fear, anger, empathy and compassion glazed over all their eyes as they watched the group of children before them. That's what they were; children. Children that were being asked to grow up before they were supposed to, before they needed to. Logan looked over at Evelyn and shared her anger above all else. He had barely been gone a day, and he comes back to three more of Evelyn's student injured.

Nurse Spex looked over Magenta and did her best to smile, in spite of the situation. Magenta was fully functional again, with no traces of her beating left behind. Ivy comforted Layla who was still in shock from Trent's condition, Dara sat between Will and Warren, who acted as her shields. Lash and Zach did the same to Magenta. Gambit stood to the side, with neither Logan and the teachers, or the group of students. Logan glanced at his fellow X-Man and broke the silence.

"I'm calling Charles." Everyone looked at him. "This is done. You've all been saying that from the beginning I bet, and no one has done anything. I'm calling Charles and I'm going to have him send the X-Men. We're doing this on our terms. No more letting them strike first." He looked at Evelyn who didn't take her eyes from her students, but nodded her head.

"Do it." All the students looked at their principal, Ivy at her aunt. Evelyn looked at Logan. "Do it." She looked back at the students. "Layla, Ivy, Magenta and Dara. You're playing Save the Citizen this afternoon. Whoever wins will face Zach and Warren, and those winners will battle Lash and Will. Get ready." She left the gym without another word, and the students had never been more sure of her relation to Ivy.

After Evelyn was gone, they all looked at Magenta. The color drained from her face as she warily looked straight ahead. Ivy was sure she heard Magenta gulp. Lash gently turned her chin to face him.

"I can do it." She nodded, worried.

"You don't have to." He whispered, but it was of no use. The rest of the group was silent.

"No, it's OK. I can do it." She gulped again and forced a smile before getting up and walking out of the gym steadily. Lash looked at Zach worried. He stared back and the two bolted from their seats to catch her.

Layla and Ivy stood up and Ivy squeezed her arm and went to Gambit, ignoring Warrens smoke as she did so.

"Did you get to a hotel OK?"

Gambit smiled at her concern. "Gambit was fine, Cher." he flipped the Queen of Hearts over in his fingers.

"That wasn't my question." She looked at him, and he knew to answer properly.

"Gambit walked most of da night. Couldn't sleep." Warren and Will glanced at each other angrily, missing Layla's entrance on the conversation.

"You didn't stay at Ivy's?" She took Ivy's hand gingerly, needing comfort and affection, needing to know everything was going to be OK.

"No, dere was a complication." He did not want to start a fight with Warren in front of anyone.

Ivy looked at Layla, who simply shrugged. "Stay at Layla's." She looked at Gambit with pleading eyes. She wanted to know he'd be safe, and walking alone at night was not going to guarantee that.

Will and Warren both jumped down from the bleachers, leaving Dara who moved to Trent and took his hand in hers.

"No." Will and Warren both said in unison. Logan stood to the side with Jamie and Boomer, all watching each other trying not to eavesdrop.

"And why not?" Layla looked back and forth between the boys, dropping her hand from Ivy's and putting both on her hips defiantly. "You're not my boyfriend anymore, and you're the reason he doesn't have anywhere to sleep to begin with." Layla looked at Gambit. "You're more than welcome in my home. We have an extra pull-out in the old study. I'll see you for Save the Citizen, Ivy." Layla made a conscious effort not to stomp her feet or make a big scene as she left, but she was sure she would have had a Warren-amount of smoke coming off her if she could.

Warren looked at Ivy. "What are you thinking?" He clenched his fists, wishing he could hit something. Preferably Gambit's face.

"I'm making sure my friends are safe. Which is more than I can say for you."

"Well you've done a pretty bang up job so far, haven't you." Warren glared at her, something he had never done, and she was taken aback in shock that he could say that to her after everything that had happened. "Look at Magenta and Trent and Taylor and Speed. You asked Dara to go in and talk to Dylan about his plans with no regard about what he could have done to her. So tell me one more time that you're keeping your friends safe, Ivy. Tell me more time that it has nothing to do with this Cajun piece of-" Logan grabbed Warren by his collar, extending his claws just enough. Warrens eyes widened in shock and horror.

"That's about enough out of you, bub." He dropped Warren's collar and looked at Ivy. "You're gonna need a new boyfriend. This one's just about broken."

Ivy just watched Warren as he stalked off, Will close on his heels.

Dara joined Gambit and Ivy after they were gone. She stood directly in Ivy's line of sight, and forced Ivy to look at her. "You've done nothing wrong. You've done everything you can and more. Don't listen to him, he's just stressed and angry and hurting. We all are." Dara pulled Ivy into an engulfing hug, and the two of them stayed that way for longer than either of them knew.

What was left of the group stayed in the gym until the end of the day when the inevitable games of Save the Citizen were to be played. The rest of the student body trickled in as Ivy and Dara were already dressed. Taylor, Speed and Trent sat on the bleachers, much in the same places they had been that morning, all still in their normal clothes. Gambit stood off to the side with Logan, both getting extremely odd looks from the student body, both getting extremely devious looks from the girls. Gambit was about to smile at one cute little brunette with Logan cut off his smile.

"Don't even _think_ about it." His eyes never left the students entering, and Gambit shifted his weight uncomfortably, dropping his eyes to the floor. Magenta and Layla walked cautiously into the gym, both dressed and nervous. Warren, Will, Lash and Zach followed close behind. Warren was still smoking, Will was clenching his fists and Layla was completely ignoring their presence. Magenta tugged at her shirt while Lash and Zach practically smothered her sides, refusing to leave her alone. Ivy left Dara as the group approached Trent, Speed and Taylor and went to Gambit and Logan, feeling Warren's seething glare on her back.

"Keep an eye on Dara. She's still not used to her Absolute." They both acknowledged her statement with slight nods.

"What about you?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

"I'll be fine." She handed them a bag that she had been carrying. Logan picked up the blankets and liter of Sprite. "Just in case." His eyebrow arched even more, but shook his head and put them back in the bag. Boomer and Jamie walked over to them, Jamie in her combat robes, Boomer in his regular P.E. Uniform.

"Are you ready?" Jamie took a deep breath and looked at Ivy.

Ivy nodded solemnly. "I'm worried about Magenta. I know why Evelyn wants her to participate, but it's so soon after... You know."

Jamie nodded. "She wants everyone to be prepared and there's no time to waste. We're all here, just in case." Jamie put her arm in Ivy's, and smiled sweetly.

"Alright, let's do this." Boomer looked at Ivy. "Don't hold back, Discord. Not this time. Dara will team with Layla, Magenta with you, OK?" Ivy nodded, ignoring the name Discord.

"I'll tell them." She started to leave before turning back to Logan, Gambit, Jamie and Boomer. "Thank you guys." They all nodded and smiled, save Logan. Ivy glanced at Gambit, who held himself back from embracing her in public, let alone at all. Ivy hesitantly took a step back and turned on her heel to find her girls.

"Rogue will be back in a few days." Logan stretched his fingers out nonchalantly.

Gambit simply nodded.

"OK, guys. Boomer wants Magenta with me, Layla you're with Dara. We're not supposed to hold back. Not at all. Layla, use all you've got. You, too, Dara."

"What about me? I haven't gotten any new fancy powers. I'm a guinea pig, remember?" Magenta looked embarrassed and upset, but tried to hide it the best she could.

"Evelyn wouldn't have put you in here with us without a reason, I promise. She knows what she's doing." Ivy nodded encouragingly, and the girls started for the arena. Dara and Ivy both forsaking their protective gear in case they changed.

Warren gathered his bearings about him and hopped off the bleachers to Ivy before she disappeared behind the plexi-glass. He caught her hand as gently as he could, and she flung around to face him, almost losing her balance. When she saw it was Warren, she instinctively pulled her hand back.

"Ivy-" She turned and walked away.

"Asshole." The girls looked at Layla. "What? He is. They both are." She scowled and muttered some incoherent curse words under her breath as the three other girls watched her in shock that she used such language.

"Teams ready?" Boomer called from his high-chair, knuckles turning white against the stop-watch. The girls nodded as Dara helped Layla with the last of her equipment. They walk into the center of the arena, giving each other quick squeezes on their hands. "Ready. Set. Battle!"

**Five Chapters Left.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.**

Layla raised herself off the ground, the wood beneath her trembling and shaking with her power. A natural wind swept up her hair, and the students gasped at the goddess before them. Dara raised her cyclones from nothing, bending their shapes at her will, circling them around Ivy and Magenta. Ivy slowly started to fold her skin upon itself, her ocean eyes finding their way back to the black, gray and white she'd known for so long. Her clothes tore from her body as her hands and feet grew into enormous paws. Her canines elongated and her tail sprouted as she hissed through her panthers mouth. She smiled at Dara, challenging her.

"_Come get me."_ She growled towards the freshman, who instantly erupted into her own African dog, the grace of Ivy's transformation lost within the dog's adrenaline. Magenta took a step back as the dog turned it's huge head to her. The wood beneath Ivy's paws trembled as Layla shattered the floor boards, raising them from the ground, twisting their rigid edges into shapes that resembled people. The shock on her face hidden as her eyes glazed over a deep green, lost within her power and she made three wood soldiers, and sent them for Ivy.

Dara's dog lunged at Magenta who yelped and dogged to the side, kicking the dog in it's back leg mid-leap. The dog whimpered and limped momentarily before it shook out its leg and stalked towards Magenta again. Magenta knew Dara was not controlling the dog, she knew it was instinct for the dog, and she also knew she had no way of protecting herself. She back up and tried to shift into her smaller guinea pig, in hopes of hiding from Dara until the match was over. She stared into the dogs eyes and focused her energy on shifting.

Magenta's eyes widened and she heard the crowds gasps and whispers and screams as the dog faded back into Dara's cold, shivering body. She tried to look away as the young girl lay naked on the floor screaming at her, but she couldn't. She couldn't tear her eyes away, and she couldn't hear Dara's screams. Magenta's line of sight was jolted back and forth and faded to black and white and she started to scream, trying to raise her arms to bang against whatever was controlling her. She grew dizzy and panicked.

Layla screamed Magenta's name as Dara curled in upon herself on the cold wood floor. Layla's wood army fell to broken pieces of wood as she flew through the air to her best friend, who now took the shape of Dara's African Wild Dog. The dog tossed and turned it's head, obviously disoriented.

Lash, Zach and the rest banged on the walls to the arena, running to find the nearest entrance. Ivy bounded over to Magenta's twisted dog. It's black, brown, white and purple fur changing colors, flowing and melting within each other with every turn of its body.

Logan jumped inside the arena, quickly covering Dara with one of the blankets Ivy had provided him, leaving the liter of Sprite with her as well. He dropped the rest of the bag and went towards Ivy.

"_The other side."_ The panther hissed her order at Logan who obeyed immediately. Layla had already circled around to the dogs back, and began twisting a cage out of her vines, calling the wood planks from the floor again to join her efforts. She effectively trapped Magenta's stolen identity and held her cage as tightly as she could, as the dog thrashed about inside.

They heard a snarl from Dara's side of the gym and everyone turned to see her fold back into her Wild Dog, heads whipping back to Layla's cage seeing Magenta standing on her two feet fully clothed and pulling at the vines that circled her.

Ivy lunged towards Dara and stopped between her and the rest of the group. "_Cane_." She was clear and praying that the dog would back down at the familiarity of the name. The dog snarled again and took a step back surrendering and letting Dara take control of the transformation.

"School is over for the day. Go home." Principal Powers stood stone still at the entrance of the gym as Dara lay once more, naked and shivering on the cold hard floor. The students stayed where the were, no one outside the arena moved.

"Now!" Boomer's voice blew multiple students from their places on the bleachers and the rest ran out faster than the speed of light. Principal Powers entered the Arena as the rest of their group filed in, helped Dara to wrap herself in her blanket, Layla slowly releasing her vines and weaving the floor boards back together beneath everyone.

Magenta didn't move, and ignored Lash and Zach's prodding at her, questioning if she was OK. She stared at Principal Powers. "You knew."

"I suspected. The rest of the group had all undergone changes, the ones that weren't as strong. I suspected that yours was waiting just beneath the surface. As Logan said, mutations take place under emotional or physical stress. You needed to be in a safe place, unaware of the possibility of a mutation happening." Principal Powers was monotonous and emotionless.

"Am I an Absolute?" Magenta didn't even blink.

Principal Powers opened her mouth to speak when Ivy cut in. "No, you aren't."

Magenta turned her head to look at her white-haired friend who stood wrapped in the same gray blanket Warren had given her months ago. "How do you know?"

Ivy shook her head. "I just do. You wouldn't take on someone else's Absolute, and when you turned the force and electric waves of the change would shred the material around you. Your clothes, essentially. I'm not sure what you are. Where you trying to change back from the dog?"

"I didn't know I had changed to begin with. I didn't know what was going on."

Ivy nodded. "It's possible there's a limit to how long you can stay in form, or maybe your body was rejecting it. I'm not sure why you took Dara's absolute, though. I wonder if it would work on a regular dog." Ivy looked at her aunt, who said nothing.

"I want to try. I want to know what it means and what I can do." Magenta was forceful and everyone knew it was not a discussion. They backed up against the plexi-glass walls.

Ivy looked at Dara and motioned for her to back up, too. "I am the panther now, it will be safer for me than it will be for you." Dara nodded and practically ran to Trent who held himself up by the wall.

Logan and Gambit stepped in closer. "We ain't leavin." Logan crossed his arms, and Gambit reached inside his trench coat, pulling a small silver wand-looking object out. He flexed his arm down towards the ground and it extended itself into his staff. Ivy nodded and tried not to be too embarrassed by the fact that she was still naked beneath her gray blanket. She dropped it off her shoulders and body as much as she could without showing her body to the entire group.

She forced her change to flow from her feet, gathering the blanket together careful not to tear it.

Ivy tossed the blanket to the ground as the she stalked Magenta. "_Concentrate."_ Magenta stared at the panther, looking into it's black, gray and white eyes. Ivy felt Magenta's power tugging at her eyes. She felt them being stripped of their own power. Her sight faded in and out of color, eventually staying as such. Ivy watched as Magenta's eyes flushed black, gray and white taking the panther's form. "_More. Pull more._" The panthers voice was calming and silky. It echoed when it shouldn't have, and it sent shivers down even Logan's spine.

Magenta clenched her fists, and watched Ivy's panther. Watched the way it walked and swayed from side to side. Watched its stalk, watched it watch her. She was almost mesmerized by its movements. She felt a tingle run through her hands and upon looking down, she saw them shimmer in and out of their human form. Looking back at Ivy, she saw her paws shimmer in and out of their cat form. Magenta concentrated harder, focusing all her attention and energy on how paws felt, claws, pads and all. She looked down at her hands again and they had stopped shimmering between each other and remained the panthers white paws. Slowly she gathered all of the panthers body into her being, and Ivy stood before her exposed for all.

Ivy grabbed at her body, covering herself as best she could before Gambit stepped in front of her looking away, holding the blanket to her body. Ivy took the blanket from him uncomfortably. "Who ever knew this would be the first time you saw me naked." She whispered in his ear so only he could hear, and she watched the burning blush creep up his neck. He licked his bottom lip lightly as she walked around him. She caught Warren's eye and kept her smirk to herself.

Gambit turned to watch her walk towards Magenta and felt Warren's eyes on him. He looked towards the smoking pyrokinetic, and merely smiled.

Ivy cautiously approached Magenta, crouching low, to show the panther it was dominant and she was not a threat. "Focus, Magenta. Try to focus."

Magenta screamed inside the panthers head, trying furiously to change back. She saw Ivy speaking and couldn't hear her words. She screamed louder, knowing only she could hear herself.

"Magenta." Ivy spoke gently to the panther, outstretching her hand low to the ground. The panther sniffed at her hand then growled and snapped at her, drawing the slightest bit of blood. Ivy ignored it, drawing her hand back in. "Magenta." She looked over the purple tint in the panthers coat, knowing her friend was lost inside the panthers head, remembering how it felt.

Magenta stopped screaming and strained her ears to hear Ivy. A faint whisper crept into her head, and she strained harder.

"Magenta."

She heard it. She screamed Ivy's name, and knew Ivy could not hear her back.

"Magenta. Focus on controlling the cat." Ivy outstretched her hand again. "Turn your head left."

Magenta gave all her concentration and energy, and she saw the panthers line of sight shift to the left. A wave of relief passed over her intangible body and she forced the panther to take a step forward. She drew the panthers head down, and nuzzled Ivy's hand to lay on top the cat's forehead.

Ivy smiled and scratched the cats head. She stood up and walked backwards. Magenta followed. "You can hear me." She watched the massive head nod, purple tints glistening under the awful florescent lights. "I want you to walk around and feel the way the cat moves. If you can take any Absolute form, you need to be as flexible as they are."

Magenta steered the cat from side to side, steadily walking as she learned to use the cats legs. Feeling more confident, she urged the cat into a steady gallop, and soon to a flashing run, bounding back and forth, using the dumpster and props from Save the Citizen as an obstacle course. She leapt over the mulcher in the center grabbing the citizen in her mouth as she did so. She landed and felt her grip on the panther tear from her control. She hit the ground hard, the dummy citizen landing on top of her.

Ivy's body erupted into the panther. She felt her bones crack and her skull shook, and she roared as a lion would, a panthers hiss trailing after it. "_What happened?_" She looked fiercely at Magenta who stood ungracefully.

"I lost control, I couldn't keep it in anymore." She shook her head, tossing the doll aside.

Ivy hissed again before standing on her hind legs, hooking her claws into the gray blanket that lay at her feet. She began to change back into her human form, and was just able to cover herself as she finished. She went to Magenta and instantly hugged her. "You did great. You're not at full Absolute strength and you can only hold it for so long. But it might be just enough to temporarily jar or weaken whatever Absolute you borrow from."

"How do you know?" Magenta's eyes were scared and hopeful, questioning everything she had just experienced, uncertain why it was happening to her.

"The panther told me." Ivy smiled and put her hand on Magenta's cheeks. "She says it's just Absolutes. Your body is like a replicator, scanning their DNA and borrowing it. If you did it to an animal... Well, I'm not sure what would happen, but I don't think it'd be good to find out."

Warren watched from the stands, none could hear the two girls conversation. He glanced over at Logan and Gambit, who stood completely un-alarmed, watching from a distance. Warren looked at Gambit and saw the smug look on his face, and how it had been there since he gave Ivy the blanket. His temperature rose as he thought about what she could have possibly said to him to make him blush. He remembered how sexual insinuation had been one of her favorite ways to make him blush, and his temperature grew hotter.

Evelyn walked towards the girls, steady and confident as always. There was a new coldness to her, one that hadn't been there before. She felt responsible. She wasn't sure why or how, but she did. These were her students, and they were being attacked under her watch.

Ivy retold her aunt what she had explained to Magenta, and shrugged confused when asked how the panther told her. "She just did. It was like my own subconscious was telling me what I needed to know."

Evelyn nodded. "How do you feel, Magenta?"

Magenta shrugged nonchalantly. "It was... Different. It was everything Ivy said it was. How you're there, but you don't control it. You're just watching."

"But you did control it." Ivy was quick to remind her.

"Eventually. It seemed like hours had gone by. It felt claustrophobic."

They both nodded. "I want you to practice with Dara and Ivy until you feel entirely comfortable. It's a strong gift, Magenta. Not one to be taken with a grain of salt." Magenta nodded obediently. "Layla." Principal Powers turned her back to Ivy and Magenta, almost missing Magenta's nod.

Layla stood up immediately, ears burning red. "Um, yes, Principal Powers?"

"Your wood – Men." She was unsure of what to call them. Everyone was unsure of what to call them.

Layla looked at her feet sheepishly. "I- I- Um-" She stammered, trying to find an explanation.

"Practice." Principal Powers turned and left the gym, heels clicking on the wood floor, echoing in the silence the teenagers dwelled in.

The group sat and looked around at each other, no one knowing what to say or what to do. Dara was the first to move, gathering her blanket around her closer and walking to the locker rooms to change. The rest followed in suit, save Speed, Trent, and Taylor, and Ivy who lingered back to gather the torn remnants of Dara and her gym clothes.

Gambit met her at the shreds, and bent down to be at her level. "So, Cher. About seeing you naked..." His voice was soft and his eyes seemed to glow more than usual, his sickly charming smile creeping onto his stubbled face.

Ivy smiled coyly and stood up, leaving Gambit at her feet. He gently stroked her leg before standing up, as well. Ivy dropped the shreds in his hands, and walked away, the blanket dropped off her perfect shoulders.

Gambit turned around and landed squarely in Logan's face. "Like I said. Rogue will be here in a few days." Logan looked at Gambit, and he knew the joke was over. Gambit nodded quickly as Logan pushed passed him.

Hours later, everyone was settled with their partners in their homes. Dara, too, had gone to Layla's. More so to be with Trent than anything. She sat in the spare bedroom with him, and they ate dinner in silence. Layla was helping Gambit set up the pull-out downstairs, and Dara and Trent had hardly been alone together, let alone seen each other in the last few weeks. The silence was uncomfortable, Dara did not know what to say or how to act, knowing her brothers comrade had attacked her boyfriend. She glanced up every few minutes to watch Trent or just to look at him and see if there was any hint of anger towards her.

As if reading her mind, he stopped eating and looked at her. "I'm not angry with you. You didn't know what was going on, Dara. It isn't your fault, and it wasn't Dylan who attacked me." She dropped her fork and launched herself across the few feet between them, hugging him tightly and forgetting his still healing injuries. "Ok, not mad but still in pain." He choked out, trying not to wince with every word.

Dara flung herself off as quickly as she had on. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She scrunched her face, wrinkling her nose at him as he adjusted himself on the bed. She gathered both their plates and put them on the bedside table. "Can I do anything? Tea? Ice?"

Trent smiled at her wrinkled nose and pulled her closer to him. "Just sleep with me." Dara looked up at him, smiling softly more to herself than to him. She knew at first she was just trying to get Warren's attention, but after seeing him this morning beaten and bruised... It was more than that. She curled up besides her electro-kinetic boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his waist.

**Sorry it took so long for me to update, I recently moved so I've been kinda frantic about life and junk. Here's another chapter just for you, FlyingSolo365. =)**


	47. Chapter 47

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.**

After an uneventful weekend of training Magenta, strengthening Layla, and making Speed fire-proof, Monday seemed like any other day. It had been weeks since any of them had attended regular classes, and all their days were beginning to blur together with no beginning, middle or end. They boarded the bus and met in the school gym. Trent, Dara, Layla, Speed, Taylor, Magenta, Zach, Lash, Will and Warren sat on the bleachers, talking as if they hadn't seen in each other in days, ignoring that it had been mere hours since they had parted.

"Hey, where's Ivy?" Taylor's bruises had disappeared days ago, courtesy of their favorite nurse.

Layla shrugged from the other side of the group. "Gambit left early this morning, said he had some things to do, maybe they're together. Has anyone talked to Logan or Principal Powers?" Everyone shook their heads as Will imagined ringing Gambits neck, and Warren fantasized about roasting him on a skewer like a pig.

Ivy and Gambit had driven to the outskirts of Maxville early in the morning to await the arrival of the X-Men. They sat on the hood of Ivy's Wrangler, watching the empty field in front of them. No words were spoken as they sipped their coffee and checked the time every few seconds.

"Everyone should be in the gym by now." Ivy broke the silence and took another sip. Gambit just nodded. Ivy tried not to look at him. "Are you nervous about seeing Rogue? When I talked to her last week, she didn't seem too happy with you." Gambit shrugged and looked away from Ivy. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and looked the other direction. A harsh beeping interrupted their silence, and Gambit withdrew a cellphone from his pocket. A gust of wind poured over them and both looked up to see the Blackbird hovering above them.

Gambit answered the beeping phone. "Yes? Oui." He shoved the phone back into his brown trench coat and tossed his coffee cup on the ground. "Dey not landing." He stood up, Ivy following, and the two of them waited beneath the jet. A ladder was dropped out of the hatch, Gambit grabbed it steadying it, Ivy climbing up in seconds. Gambit lifted his foot off the ground and the jet took off as he scurried up.

Inside the jet Ivy and Rogue shared an awkward hug so they didn't touch each other's skin, Ororo and Hank said hello from the front, maneuvering the jet through the cloudless sky, en route to Sky High. Scott, Jean, Kitty, Bobby, Warren, Piotr, and Xavier all greeted Ivy warmly and welcoming; they hadn't seen her in years. Rogue helped Gambit straighten his coat, and he kissed her gloved hand, charming smile never faltering.

In an instant the Blackbird was landed at the back of Sky High near the gym, camouflaged so the students would not see, and the X-Men made their way to the gym, Ivy and Gambit leading the way. The two of them opened the double doors, holding them while the uniformed X-Men filed into the gym, Ivy's friends immediately looking up. At the opposite side of the gym Logan, Evelyn, Jamie and Boomer entered from the control room, the students not knowing they were there at all.

Logan immediately stood by the professor as Evelyn bent down and hugged him graciously, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. Jamie and Jean hugged hello, everyone exchanging tense pleasantries while Ivy stood to the side watching and waiting.

Rogue left the group after a moment and stood by Ivy, enlacing their gloved hands together. Ivy smiled at her friend, realizing how much she had missed Rogue.

"How's that serum workin' out?" Rogue raised an eyebrow and Ivy shrugged.

"It's ok. Didn't use it today, didn't want you to be alone." She gave Rogue a half-smile that the southern gal saw right through.

"It's ok, you know. Ah understand why you do it. Doesn't ever mean Ah will, but Ah get why." She squeezed Ivy's hand, giving her a full smile as Ivy looked back towards her friends. "So. Warren's a damn fine lookin' piece of meat." Ivy snorted laughing, garnering her a raised eyebrow from more than just Logan. She quickly stopped and dragged Rogue back to the X-Men.

Evelyn stood apart from them, Ivy's friends waiting for some instruction. "I see no need for introductions, as you all know the X-Men's powers, and they've been given profiles on each of you. Tomorrow we start training. Tonight you go home and sleep." She turned back to Xavier who nodded, Scott, Jean, Logan, Ororo and Hank following them out.

"Well that was moving." Kitty stretched her arms as Bobby and Piotr nodded. "I vote lunch." The three looked towards the Sky High group who sat stone still. They saw the remnants of the bruising on their bodies, their broken spirits, and their sad eyes. Magenta was the first to stand, Zach and Lash jumping the moment she stood. She wobbled for just a second, both boys extending their arms towards her; she ignored them both and walked on her own. So much had happened to her and she was just so tired. Taylor and Speed stood next, eventually everyone joining them. Layla went to Ivy, who still stood with Rogue and now Gambit.

"Hi." Layla smiled at Rogue, who returned with one of her own.

"You must be Layla. It's good to meet you. Gambit says you're quite the little power-house." She extended her gloved hand and Layla smiled even wider and shook it.

"I'm working on it, yeah." Rogue nodded understanding.

The rest of the Sky High gang slowly began to say hello, the Warrens looking at each strangely, and resolving that Worthington would go by Angel, as Peace has no alias. Kitty invited them all to lunch and they gladly accepted the invitation. Ivy suggested the X-Men ditch the leather in favor of civvies, and the heroes were gone to the Blackbird in an instant.

Warren pulled Ivy aside as the X-Men returned, Ivy rolling her eyes and trying to pry her wrist out of his hot grasp. "I'm sorry, Ivy." Her posture changed in an instant. The entire time she'd known him and it was the first real apology she'd ever gotten. "And I'm not just saying that because Rogue is here. I've seen the way Logan treats you, and I just saw the way the rest of the X-Men looked at you. You're part of their family, and as much as I fucking hate that asshole, he's part of it, too. I shouldn't have treated either of you the way I did. And I don't just mean recently, I mean at all. Right from the start." He dropped her hand and let his arms fall to his sides.

Ivy watched his dark eyes search her for some sort of forgiveness, his shoulders hunched in more and more with each passing moment. She reached up and brushed a stroke of long hair off his face. "I supposed it's too much to ask for you to apologize to Gambit, too?" Warren's back started to smoke and Ivy smiled. She reached up on her tippy-toes the few inches she needed and gently kissed him. "Thank you, Warren." She leaned her forehead into his, and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck, taking in her scent as if he were the panther and she were the human.

They returned to the rest hand in hand and Will smiled to himself, stealing a glance at Layla who talked with Bobby and Angel, who tugged at his harness. She reached out and helped him re-strap his wings. Will was so busy watching her gentle hands work at the strap, he barely noticed her glance back at him, too.

"Ready?" Rogue looked at Ivy who nodded and moved closer to Warren.

"There's someone I want you to meet. Rogue, this is Warren."

Rogue looked him up and down then raised at eyebrow. He raised his own and she smiled, stretching her gloved hand towards his. "Hurt her, and Ah'll suck you dry."

She smiled her brilliant, warm smile and he gave her one of his own rare smiles. "I would expect nothing less."

All sixteen of them returned to the civilian world, chowed down on some hefty burgers, and went back to Will's house. They sat in his backyard by the pool for hours until Logan called, temper slowly rising. The X-Men, including Gambit left, leaving the Sky High group behind, still sitting at the small pool.

"They're nice." Dara offered first as the rest sat silently. Ivy nodded. "We're better." She smiled at the white haired girl she'd grown so close to. Ivy chuckled and leaned her head on Warren's shoulder.

Slowly they trickled out in groups until it was just Will, Warren, Ivy and Layla left. Layla and Will looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, Will making a move to speak as Layla interrupted with a goodbye to Warren and Ivy; Trent and Dara had already left to go to her house and she didn't want them to get locked out.

She shut the door and Will nodded to himself. "Right." He looked at Warren and Ivy, nodding to them in acknowlegment and went towards the stairs to his room.

Warren and Ivy returned to her apartment, Warren wondering if maybe he should stay at Will's again, but Ivy was alone, Will at least had his parents if something happened. The two of them crawled into her bed and she lay her head on his shoulder. He absently stroked her hair, and she just as absently draped her arm over his chest. They thought about what tomorrow was going to bring, and they thought about what yesterday had already left.

The fight they knew was coming seemed to have a victory that was farther and farther away, neither knew how they were going to stop it, and both knew that losing wasn't an option. Just like Dara had recounted for them, Dylan and Absolute's were going to kill everyone, one by one. "Lose" was not part of their vocabulary anymore. There was no try again, no better luck next time. They had one shot to win.

**3 chapters left... They'll be posted shortly. Hope y'all enjoyed it.**


	48. Chapter 48

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.**

The X-Men and Sky High gang trained for two straight weeks, all their normal classes and routine's forgotten. Xavier and Jean worked together to find the Coven and Dylan, eventually locating them just outside town. Every few days a new group of the heroes and heroes in training went to scout the location, and every time more Absolutes had arrived.

The gym had become their haven, morning, noon and night. The Commander, Jetstream, and all the Super parents had been given a full detail on the situation, and they had all joined the fight. Clark, Bruce and Diana had been sent warnings as well, alerting them to the situation, preparing them in case somehow Ivy and the rest could not stop it.

In the actual school year, it was slowly becoming the time when the heroes would be paired with their sidekicks, but Principal Powers ignored the tradition with the group she'd come to know so well and love as if they were her blood and not just her charges. She announced to them after training on a Friday of a week they lost count of that they would be choosing their own pairs – or groups – that they would work their careers in. Taylor and Speed automatically knew they would stay together, Lash and Magenta invited Zach to make their group a trio, Warren and Will simultaneously knew their duo would not change, Dara and Layla found each other and knew right away that when Dara graduated, she would join the hippy in the Super Hero world, and Trent announced he was moving to South America after Graduation to help rebuild towns that had collapsed under natural disasters.

Will had caught Layla alone after Principal Powers announcement, and without a word he kissed her more passionately than he ever had. She returned it more than willingly and they both begged their apologies to the other, saying "I love you" and "Never again." They exited the gym to find the rest of the group sitting and waiting, everyone, even the X-Men who had no idea what happened in the beginning, cat-called and whistled when they walked out hand-in-hand. Magenta screamed an "I-FUCKING-TOLD-YOU-SO!" at Zach, who in return paid her a smooth $50, earning them both a look of dismay from Layla.

A school bus landed behind them and everyone turned around warily knowing that no bus should be landing that late in the day. Everyone's skin tingled with their powers until a full-grown Ethan stepped out. He may have been scrawny when he left Maxville, but California had done him well; he was taller, still lean, but not nearly as dorky as they had last seen him. Zach ran to his best friend, the rest of the original Sky High gang in tow, and they hugged him until he couldn't breathe. He explained how Principal Powers had called him and explained the situation. He couldn't let his friends save the world and not have his name in the history books with them. Plus he had designed a few rays and beams he wanted to test out.

Everyone boarded the bus that waited for them, and Xavier called for Ivy as she was about to join her friends.

"_A word?" _He telepathically connected with her for the first time since she was little. She kissed Warren on the cheek, squeezed his hand, and returned to the professor without saying a word. The bus left, and the two of them sat alone together under a tree Layla had grown.

"Your friends have some amazing gifts." He looked at her and she smiled proudly, nodding. "Your mother would be very proud of the woman you've become. You brought all these people together, Ivy."

"I wish it had been under better circumstances." She dropped her shoulders, and looked down at the grass beneath her. She looked up at the wheelchair-bound man that had cared for her for so long. They sat silently for a few minutes, just looking into each others eyes, knowing how much they had helped each other. She stood after a moment, nodding at the professor gratefully and walked towards the second empty bus that waited for her. She glanced back at the professor who continued to sit and watch her. A cold wind chilled her to the bone and she got on the bus.

**I'm starting to have anxiety about only having 2 chapters left... I don't want it to end! Ahh well, I'll post another chapter this week.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.**

Another few weeks passed, the beginning of June had finally come. Graduation in seven days, their looming battle sooner than that. Spencer, the telepath from Florida had come to Maxville, warning Ivy that they were running out of time. A small group made one last sweep of the Absolute's location to see they were gone, and Ivy knew that time was up, so she went to Holy Names Cathedral one last time.

She hadn't even stepped one foot inside the gate when she felt him behind her. She stopped and turned, a long coat keeping her warm in his cold presence.

"I've been waiting for you to come back here." Dylan stepped in towards her. "I've been waiting for you to find me."

"Why." She stared at his cold green eyes as they began to fold into his wolf's.

His voice grew hoarse and hollow as he circled her like prey. "Join us. We can kill them all. We're superior. We're above them. We, Ivy, are Absolute." He traced his finger along her cheek.

"Why." She didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't breathe.

"Because you're stronger than us. You're something special. Something that's supposed to bring the rest of us to our knees. We bow to no one. They should bow to us. _You_ should be on _your_ knees in front of _us_, begging _us_ to spare your life. You cannot win, you know that." He leaned in closer, lips barely brushing her cheek. "Join me." She still didn't move and he snarled. "You will lose." He stepped away from her.

"Maybe I will. But if I die, you're coming with me." She threw off the coat and erupted into her snarling, white panther in one swift movement, X-Men, Sky High students, Spencer, The Commander, Jetstream and countless adults and heroes came from all angles as Dylan merely smiled and finished his own change into the wolf.

Over a hundred Absolutes blocked the Heroes in, all scouting their targets. Layla fought to keep her composure as she looked up at the huge animals before her. Her mother stood next to her, bracing herself and trying to communicate with the bear before her. She remembered quickly that Absolutes are not mentally connected to the humans stuck within them, and she calmly asked the bear to leave and not return for months to come. The bear bowed its head and returned to a naked man in front her, who looked down at his hands then up at Mrs. Williams. Ivy smiled within her panther and returned her focus to Dylan's wolf.

"_Let's do this._" The two ran at each other, the rest of the mutants, supers and Absolutes launched at each other all the same. Layla called a wooden army, raising herself into the air, twisting and contorting the ground beneath her, creating canyons that swallowed the nearby Absolutes. Jetstream, Will and Angel took to the sky with Spencer's hawk, fighting off the numerous birds who threatened to pick their comrades off one by one. Warren and Piotr were cornered off to a side, Piotr doing more damage than was probably necessary as his metal alter-ego Colossus, Zach and Ethan worked with Kitty as she phased in and out of the Absolutes, dragging their bodies into solid objects and leaving them there, Logan tearing into some of the bigger Absolutes, ignoring Scott's reminder that they were still humans inside.

Jean and Lash, Bobby and Taylor, The Commander... They showed as minimal amounts of mercy as possible as they watched their friends bleed and bruise. Dara's canine jumped in time to save Trent from a fatal attack, and he in turn shot electric waves at the beast that had gone for him. Rogue took a page from the Incredible Hulk's book and smashed anything and everything, her super strength proving more than useful against the Absolutes. Gambit's bow staff collided with fur, scales and flesh. Storm and Beast, too, were rough in their assaults, but after everyone had had contact with Ivy and Dara, they knew how strong Absolutes could be, especially taking into account how many there would be.

Hours of screaming and tackling, Magenta taking their forms, Rogue taking their energy, what probably amounted to gallons of blood spilled and staining the consecrated ground the church stood on, most Absolutes injured until they unwillingly returned to human, some dead altogether, the X-Men on their last leg, the Sky High group broken and losing consciousness, Ivy and Dylan still tore at each other in the very center of the battle, neither willing to give up until the other backed down.

The wolf launched at Ivy's panther one last time before she had had enough. The panther bore it's teeth and ripped the wolf's throat in one fowl swoop, all Ivy's friends slowly gathering, all Ivy's friends watching her tear the wolf apart. The panther stood over the wolf's still body and watched it change into a mutilated human being.

Ivy finally had a chance to breathe, and she turned the panthers head down to look at her paws beneath her. They had been stained red, and she knew there was no washing his blood off her skin. She struggled to walk towards her friends, the adrenaline having slowed so much that she felt every cut, every scrape, every drip of blood. She took another step and hissed, collapsing into her human body, all the adrenaline that had kept her going immediately disappearing.

Warren limped the few feet between them before he fell to her side. Surrounding them, her friends and allies gathered, most following Warren's example and falling to the ground, others leaning against each other. Warren looked down at his girlfriend and the pool of blood that collected beneath her. He pressed his hand against the huge gash across her chest, trying his hardest to stop the bleeding, yet somehow knowing that there were too many cuts and she had already lost too much blood.

She looked up at him and did her best to smile through her bloodstained mouth. He, too, tried to smile back and wiped the blood off her face. He maneuvered so her head rest in his lap, covering her body as best he could, and he sat with her. No one spoke, no one moved. A tear slid down Warren's filthy, sweat-ridden cheek and he stroked her own cheek with his thumb.

He craned his neck so his forehead was pressed against hers, and whispered softly against her lips. "I love you, Ivy."

"I love you, too." Her voice was barely there, and he knew she forced the last bit of her energy into speaking. He straighted himself a bit as she turned to look at Professor Xavier one more time.

* * *

"_Am I going to die, Xavier?" She didn't move a muscle, but asked him with her mind as her heart sank, knowing the answer he was going to give._

"_Yes." Xavier watched her as the wind tickled the grass beneath his wheelchair._

"_The Seer told you. The same one that-" Her face never faltered, but he felt the pang inside her body grow._

"_Yes." Xavier's mind was strong, but his heart couldn't bare knowing the girl he'd helped raise was coming to her end. _

"_Ok." Ivy didn't know what else to say. She stood and returned to the bus as Xavier called after her._

"_Ivy-" She turned to look at him one last time, smiled knowing he would take care of her friends, and she boarded the bus._

* * *

Warren stood, holding Ivy's stiff body, her white hair slowly dripping into its strawberry blonde it had forsaken so many years ago. His leather coat draped over her naked form, he carried her back to the street, all the mutants, supers and allies in tow behind him.

The remaining Absolutes – Dylan's – joined the procession, knowing their cause was lost, knowing they would pay for the destruction and harm they'd caused. And they walked. Some crying, some silent, all bleeding.

**No need for nasty language, FlyingSolo! =) **

**I've had this ending planned since before I wrote chapter one so if you're disappointed, I'm sorry. There is a reason for it, which I'll explain at the end of the next chapter - which is NOT meant as an epilogue, contrary to how it may feel. And I definitely apologise for the lack of descriptive fighting, minimal amounts of kick-ass stuff I can write ok, but big battles baffle me.**

**I'll post the final Chapter 50 tomorrow or the next day, I promise.  
**


	50. Chapter 50

**Disclaimer:**

"Most of you have been at Sky High since your freshman year. Some of you have joined this class as sophomores, juniors, and some just this past year. All of you stand here as graduates, going onto college or into careers of the Super and Civilian worlds. Most of you have helped save each other, some of you have helped save the world, a few of you have suffered dire consequences trying, one has not survived.

"You might not think you can make it through tomorrow, or the next day, or twenty years down the road. But right now, this moment, this is the hardest choice you will ever make. Right now is the moment that you decide to be a hero. Right now is the moment that every single one of you will carry for the rest of your lives. Take this moment. Consider what you know, what you've seen, what you've heard. Think about everything you've learned the past four years, and make your decision to be a hero.

"On behalf Super Society of the United States of America, I would like to congratulate Sky High's graduating class of two thousand and nine." Evelyn stepped back from the podium as the class erupted into cheers and shouts, throwing their caps into the sky, parents, family and friends snapping photos of anyone and everyone, regardless of if they actually knew the student.

Warren was the first to disrobe, black pants and royal blue shirt beneath his black graduation gown. The rest of his friends followed suit, all wearing black, white and gray, not a single one in color.

The left the ceremony together and stood in the gym one last time.

"So this is it." Layla wrapped her arm in Will's as he stuffed his hands into his pockets sheepishly.

"Yep." Trent nodded his head slowly.

The silence was deafening between them.

"When do you leave for Xaviers?" Zach looked to Dara, who stood off to the side, black hair in a long braid, twisting the end of it.

"A few days." She shrugged a little.

"I don't want us to separate." Layla broke the uncomfortable silence after minutes had passed. Will looked at her sadly, telling her it was time.

Lash shook his head quickly. "I agree with Layla, we should stay together, all of us." Magenta looked at the floor and glanced at Zach who stood with Ethan a little ways away.

Taylor opened her mouth to speak when Speed interrupted her. "Thank you guys." Everyone looked at him, including Taylor. "I don't know what would have happened to me this year, or next without any of you." He squeezed Taylor's hand as she nodded her agreement.

"Me, too. I love all of you so much." A tear slid down her cheek.

"It wasn't us." All eyes shot to Warren; the angry boy who had become a loyal man. He hadn't spoken since a few days prior when they lost her. "It wasn't us." He looked at Speed and Taylor. "It was Ivy." Everyone looked elsewhere slowly. No one looked at each other, no one said a word. "Principal Powers said we're stronger together than we are apart. It's true now more than ever." He folded his arms across his chest matter of factly and Layla and Lash stood by him instantly.

"Well, you were stuck with me anyway." Will joined them, Ethan and Zach nodding and walking over as well.

Taylor and Speed glanced at each other and joined the growing group. "What the hell." Magenta took a few steps to close the gap, and Trent followed quickly behind.

"I'll have to cancel my flight. I somehow don't think it's refundable." A few chuckles and a ruffle to his blue hair and a smile crept onto his face.

"Dara. Come with us. Finish at Sky High and come with us." Warren looked at the girl who stood alone now. She took her eyes off the floor, and they saw tears running down her face. She looked at the entire group before her. Magenta, Taylor, Lash, Layla, Will, Zach, Ethan, Warren, Speed, Trent. Without a word she ran towards them, and they all wrapped their arms around her and each other.

The gym doors swung open, the Sky High gang emerging with grace, powers surrounding them. Speed running out first leading the way, all eyes turning to see them. Layla rode the wind, green vines surrounding her, Will by her side, Warren's entire body aflame in red and orange, Dara's gray cyclones circling around them, Taylor's hands covered in soft blue ice, Lash's striped arms extended outward, Trent's blue electricity crackling around his hands, Ethan's hand half-melted, the orange liquid swirling around himself magically, Magenta calling one of the Absolutes her body memorized, half changed into a zebra, black, white and magenta striped.

Every single eye watched them as they stood on the Sky High campus one last time. Evelyn, Boomer and Jamie all proud to know they had found their path together, Xavier and his X-Men standing tall in memory of Ivy. Gambit and Rogue hand in hand without any gloves, went to the group. Gambit extended his hand to Warren, who retracted the flames of his own hand and shook Gambit's graciously, nodding their heads to each other, Layla and Rogue sharing a hug in the sky. The two X-Men returned to their own family, and the Sky High gang flared all their powers into the sky, all the colors blending pigment creating a pure, white light.

**The explanation isn't in the chapter, but here's my reasoning: Yes, happy endings are wonderful, they make you feel good that your hero or heroin bested their challenge and grew from the experience, but no one ever stops to think about the _other_ people involved. What about the sidekicks? It's just as important for them to grow and succeed as it is for the hero. I didn't want the end of my story to be about Ivy being great and praised by everyone, I wanted it to be about the journey everyone else made. We already love Ivy, I justt wanted the others to find themselves the same way she had.**

**So there it is. I really hope you all enjoyed the story, if you need to delete the last 2 chapters from memory, I understand and won't take it personal. =) Thanks for all your support, guys, it means a lot.**


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